


Wings Like Me?

by StrayKiss



Category: K-pop, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fowling, Alternate Universe - Wings, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Han Jisung | Han-centric, Mild Language, Past Abuse, Stray Kids Is A Mess, Stray Kids has wings, Violence, jisung is a cute bouncy fluff, sorry jisungie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2019-10-12 10:44:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17466053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrayKiss/pseuds/StrayKiss
Summary: Changbin had kept himself hidden to everyone besides his flock, until a certain bouncy college roommate accidentally forces his wings to appear.-or-Jisung has a traumatic past and lots of emotions but finds a friend that might be the gateway to happiness.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> uhhhhh I started writing this specific scene in my head a few days ago and wanted to turn it into a story but idk about it so here it is. I may or may not add anything to it but if you want to see more leave a comment and I'll keep it going.  
> Also I wrote this really fast so pardon my mistakes.
> 
> Edit: I will be continuing this into a story so comment if you have any suggestions! <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He trusted Changbin, he really did, and he valued their blooming friendship, which is why he hesitated.

Changbin POV  
A loudly whispered “Hey wait up!” was not what he expected to hear at 2 am as he headed across the school grounds for a bit of fresh air on a beautiful late summer night.  
The black haired boy turned around as he neared the far side of the school’s vacant courtyard to see the source of the voice struggling to get his keys untangled from the doorknob of their dorm building. The dorm houses of the prestigious science college were built in the shape of a rectangle around a vast courtyard which housed a sizable Victorian glass greenhouse that was filled to the brim with all types of exotic and native plants alike, along with a couple stray birds at times.  
As his petite, bouncy roommate, now free from the door, jogged nearer to him he wondered why in the world the other was up at such an ungodly hour, and what he was planning on doing after he caught up with the other. The two weren’t particularly close as they had only met about 2 weeks ago when school had started and they had been assigned each other as roommates since they were in the same major. Changbin had been a little startled with how comfortable the other was around him and how he followed him almost everywhere like an obedient puppy.  
“Jisung, what are you doing out here?”  
The younger was now walking beside Changbin as he made his way through the gates that cut through the back dorm building and led to the forest behind.  
“It’s so beautiful out here and you looked shady walking all alone with your hood up in the middle of the night. Where are we going by the way?”  
Changbin chuckled.  
“So you came all the way out here to walk with me because I looked shady?”  
“Yep! But also because I couldn’t sleep and I thought maybe walking would help”  
Changbin had noticed that about his roommate, he would often hear the other walking around their room in the night or find him up reading by candlelight when he got up to use the bathroom in the early morning.  
“I couldn’t seem to fall asleep either,” This was not true but it was the fastest excuse he could think of, “I’m headed to a nice clearing I found in the woods earlier if you want to come,”  
It wasn’t as if they were already walking through the old, spacious forest together.  
“Thanks hyung”  
A few minutes passed in silence as the two boys enjoyed the serene illumination of the trees by the bright moon, and the warm breeze that fluttered through both of their hair after Changbin had taken down his hood. Changbin felt incredibly relaxed and happy as if he was absorbing the beautiful energy of the nature around him. He let his eyes droop closed as he continued to walk through the trees using his instincts to guide him and he forgot that he was not alone until Jisung awkwardly coughed beside him, seeming as if he was trying to decide how to best start his sentence. Changbin opened his eyes and turned his head to face Jisung to show he was listening and saw the other looking down with a slight blush tinting his cheeks.  
“Ji, is everything alright?”  
He had begun worrying about the younger; the clingy behavior, lack of sleep, and excessive amount of energy at times sent off red flags in Changbin’s mind throughout the weeks that something was deeply troubling the other but he was trying to hide it. He didn’t want to force anything out of him but he wished Jisung would confide in him so Changbin might be able to help with whatever was plaguing the boy’s psyche.  
“Hyung-” Jisung started but didn’t continue as he suddenly felt too nervous to continue with the question on his tongue.  
“Hey, you don't need to be nervous around me, we're roommates so we should trust each other with stuff. I promise I won’t judge or get offended,”  
Changbin slowed their walking pace a little in hopes of prompting something out of the younger while they had the chance to talk about things in a calm and secluded environment away from the masses of prying ears on campus. 

Jisung POV  
He trusted Changbin, he really did, and he valued their blooming friendship, which is why he hesitated. If he scared the older away, how would he survive the rest of the year living in the same room as him? He didn’t want to lose his only friend, but he was too curious and it got the better of him after a few minutes of Changbin quietly waiting for the younger to speak.  
The elder looked slightly surprised when Jisung moved to stand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. Jisung saw Changbin’s surprise grow tenfold when he finally shed the last of his nerves and looked him straight in the eyes as he let out a cooing sound from his throat. Great, black wings suddenly sprung from Changbin’s shoulder blades, surprising them both and causing Changbin to stumble backwards at the sudden weight.  
Jisung had only wanted to inform Changbin of what he was and hopefully confirm his suspicion that the other was as well, he had not meant to trigger the other’s wings without his permission.  
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Changbin, please forgive me I didn’t mean to do that, I usually have control over that when I coo but I guess I haven’t had to do it in a while so I’m a little rusty, I’m so sor-”  
“Jisung.”  
Said boy was now slightly trembling as he worried his hands and rambled on with scared eyes but Changbin’s voice made him stop and cower in fear that the other was angry at him.

Changbin POV  
After getting over the initial shock of having his wings appear not on his own accord, he folded them behind his back and approached the younger.  
“Jisung how did you do that?!”  
Jisung looked up, startled at the vehemence that the words were spoken with. The younger looked up at Changbin and briefly saw his eyes shifted, their normal black replaced with a striking light blue, before they morphed back, looking shocked and worried.  
“I didn’t mean to hyung, when I coo it sometimes causes the other to shift. I haven’t interacted with another Fowling in a long time and this used to happen all the time but I thought I got it under control since I left there,” Jisung pouted slightly through his words because he was concerned as to why he wasn’t totally in control of himself.  
“H-how can you do that though? How are you so powerful you’re like 12?!”  
The reality of the situation started to slowly catch up with Changbin as the fact that this petite boy had just caused him to shift, which was practically unheard of.  
Jisung must have taken Changbin’s excited talking as anger because the younger was now sniffling and pleading  
“Please don’t hurt me, I don’t work for them anymore! I don’t work for the government, don’t take me back there please they’ll torture me, I didn’t mean any harm, please…” Jisung’s words died out in a whimper. Changbin’s heart broke upon hearing those words and he rushed to awkwardly comfort the younger who was now sitting on the ground curled around his knees. His still shifted wings subconsciously curled around the both of them, careful to not tough the younger in case he scared him.  
“Hey, hey, calm down. I’m not mad at you I promise, I was just really shocked. I, uh, don’t know your past, but I can tell that it hasn’t been a happy one and you don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to... but could you stop crying for me please?” Changbin rushed out his words in a slight jumble in an attempt to calm the other. He felt tears of his own begin to sting his eyes as the boy trembled in front of him.  
Jisung sniffled and unraveled himself as they both stood up slowly.  
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly and wiped his nose on his sleeve, “I’m not used to people being kind when I do something wrong”  
Changbin pulled Jisung into a warm hug in an attempt to reassure the other that he was not angry.  
“Well now that we both know about each other, could I maybe see your wings?” Changbin wanted to distract Jisung from his troubles but Jisung just looked incredibly hesitant and embarrassed at the mention of his wings.  
"If that's ok," Changbin quickly added on. “U-uh I guess, they aren’t as beautiful as yours though” Jisung blushed and Changbin saw him glance at the sleek black feathers of his crow wings that were still folded behind his back. Despite his hesitance the younger faced away from Changbin and stepped forward a bit, looking to either side to make sure he wouldn’t hit a tree when he shifted. After glancing behind him one last time to make sure Changbin was in good intentions, Jisung’s wings fluttered out from his back; they were smaller than Changbin’s, white with dark tips and two black stripes longways along the bottom of the wing. A sudden instinctual surge of panic passed through Changbin when he realized that Jisung was a pigeon,  
“A messenger? W-what are you doing out here?”  
Pigeon’s were thought to be one of lowest classes and thus were treated only as messengers for the Fowlings higher up in rank. They were almost never seen out in public unless they were delivering a message or running an errand, and Changbin had never heard of a free pigeon which Jisung clearly seemed to be. Figuring that it would be less awkward to continue walking instead of looking at each other as they talked, the Changbin began to lead the other towards their destination again.  
“Well, I was born into working for the government but after some.. incidents.. they cast me out thinking that I would just die but I didn’t and now here I am,” Jisung’s answer was short and obviously skipped over some major parts but Changbin didn’t want to press and make the other uncomfortable. Changbin didn't really know how to respond to the explanation so the two just continued walking with a slight awkwardness beginning to grow between them.  
When they had reached the clearing Changbin had talked about, the older turned to face Jisung,  
“Actually, to tell you the truth I didn’t come out here to walk because I couldn’t sleep, I was planning on visiting my nest to see my flock, but I didn’t want to send you back inside because that would probably be suspicious,” Changbin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “well now that we're both kind of out in the open, uhhh, maybe you would want to come with me to visit my flock? I’m sure they’ll like meeting my new roommate and it should get your mind off of things. You seem a bit shaken up”  
“You have a nest AND a flock?!” Jisung seemed genuinely shocked at this information which worried Changbin because most fowlings did but this seemed foreign to the younger. Changbin fell in love with his nest and his flock, he didn’t know what he would do without them so it pained him that Jisung didn’t have the same experience.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung joined Changbin above the tree tops, the latter smiling with reassurance at the younger and heading East, away from the school and deeper into the vast, old forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! sorry it took so long geez, I've been swamped w/ school work but hopefully chapters will come more frequently now  
> I have some questions on how you lovelies would like this fic to progress (ships, etc.)! I'll put them in the end notes so comment any suggestions please and I will take them into consideration!  
> enjoy~

Changbin POV  
It had been about half an hour since they left the school and the moon was still high and illuminating the small grassy clearing they now stood in. The sunrise was a few hours away but it was Saturday, though just barely, and they had no classes tomorrow.  
“I found this clearing when I first flew here a few weeks ago, it’s a good distance from everything so that no one can see us but it isn’t a far walk”  
“Are you sure I won’t be intruding on your flock? I’ve never been to a nest before, is it far?”  
The younger looked nervous and his wings fidgeted from where they lay tucked behind his back.  
“You don’t have anything to worry about Ji, I am positive that Chan will absolutely adore you as soon as he sees you. And the others will love having someone new to play around with, as long as you don’t let Hyunjin try to convince you to cook with him because he will literally set everything on fire,” Changbin reassured.  
Jisung’s worries seemed to ease slightly as he quietly let out a chuckle at the thought of whoever Hyunjin was with his apparently fire-hazardous tendencies.  
“And, to answer your second question, it’s only about a 20 minute flight if the winds are in our favor,”  
Changbin spread his wings out to either side and flapped them a few times; he hadn’t been able to fly since he got to the college two weeks ago so he was a bit stiff. Jisung, on the other hand, seemed very wary of his wings and moved them around in all directions as if testing for their basic functionality. The younger apparently had noticed the other watching him curiously because he spoke up in a small voice,  
“Sorry, I haven’t flown in a few months,” Jisung sounded nervous.  
A few months?! Changbin couldn’t imagine going that long without being able to stretch his wings and feel the freedom of the air.  
“Well hurry up! How have you survived with your wings back there this whole time? If I don’t open them for a while they get super itchy,”  
Jisung let out an amused puff of air from his nose and made a tentative flap that lifted him only about a foot off the ground. Gathering courage from Changbin, who was already hovering a few yards up, eager to start the journey, Jisung pushed off the ground with a little hop and beat his wings with more strength. Jisung joined Changbin above the tree tops and began following him East, away from the school and deeper into the vast, old forest.

Jisung POV  
Jisung was hesitant to fly. Just having his wings shifted was dangerous, and flying out in the open, even though he was far from any known outpost, made him feel extremely vulnerable. He had freed himself of his tags about a year back, the scar still encircling his right ankle, but the distinct markings on his wings acted nonetheless as an obvious display of his status. Despite the danger, flying again, high above the trees with the warm summer air buffeting his fluffy hair and ruffling through his feathers, felt incredible. He had forgotten how freeing it was in the sky. He glanced over to the crow beside him and found the other smiling lightly with his eyes closed, already having memorized the flight back to his nest.  
Jisung was excited to meet the other’s flock and finally get to see a nest in real life. He had briefly learned about the common Fowling dwellings through the complaints of his government masters (he scoffed at himself for still referred to them as his ‘masters’) about the constant repairs that needed to be done and how their mates weren’t doing enough to help in the upkeep. He gathered that most Fowling build wooden nests to accommodate themselves and their mates as soon as they leave their parent’s nest and must make frequent repairs if the structure wasn’t sound in its original building. He often overheard things during his time there that he longed to experience; he sometimes even wished to simply be a pigeon belonging to a regular flock and not the government. Changbin’s situation intrigued Jisung; he seemed entirely too young to belong to a flock or live in a nest other than his parents’, but then again Jisung’s situation wasn’t any less strange. 

Changbin POV  
Changbin felt all the stress of adapting to the unfamiliar human school melt away as he found himself on the familiar path towards his beloved nest. The subconscious pull of home had been enticing him the whole second week of being gone and he wanted to check on his flock to make sure none of them had done something dumb while they were away at their own schools. Before leaving, the eight Fowling had made a promise that they would visit back at the nest every weekend, but Changbin had found himself too busy with move-in the first weekend that he ended up not going. Luckily, the science school he had chosen to go to was very close; at the edge of the very same forest. The others weren’t so lucky, studying at places up to two hours flight away. Despite the relatively short flight, Changbin found himself with plenty of time to think.  
He thought back to a few weeks ago when his flock was almost ready to depart from their nests and go their separate ways to various colleges. He really loved his flockmates and they never failed to make him laugh while rolling his eyes at the same time. The eight Fowlings were scrambling about doing some last minute packing and trying to find matching pairs of shoes. The leader of his flock had always seemed to be able to read his mind like an open book but it still startled Changbin when long skua wings enveloped him and caused him to come face to face with the wings’ concerned owner.  
“I know you are nervous Bin, but this is a good step for you. With everyone else off studying as well, you would have been lonely here anyways”  
Changbin felt uncomfortably close to his leader’s worried face, their noses practically touching.  
“Hyung… you know that your wings aren’t soundproof and they can all hear us talking”  
“I know that! I’m just trying to be comforting! What an ungrateful family...” the leader grumbled as he uncurled his wings, threw up his hand in exasperation and stepped away from the younger.  
“I appreciate it hyung, but I promise I’ll be fine. It’s not like I haven’t been on my own before. Besides, I’m looking forward to learning more about human culture,”  
“What a loser, I’m going for the partying and babes!”  
The boy cleaning his beautiful iridescent blue-purple feathers boasted proudly from his slouched position on the stairs before getting pelted in the back of the head with a shoe, (“oh hey, my other shoe!”)  
“Dude, we all know that’s not true. You’ve been talking nonstop for days about how much you want to learn about potions and shit”  
“Uh, it’s called chemistry actually,”  
“Nerd.”  
-  
Changbin chuckled to himself and opened his eyes, taking in the forest as it grew denser and they neared his nest; he was interested to see how Jisung would like his flock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious as to how you all envision/would like the fic to continue:  
> -I was planning on turning this into a whole au with adventure and plot, would you all like that? or just something like a slice of life?  
> -There will be lots of affection and fluff between members but should I include actual romance? if so between who (can be between more than two or all of them)  
> -Any other suggestions?
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading~
> 
> p.s I know everyone is anxious to see the flock/Jisung interaction, and it is coming! next chapter I promise!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung knew Changbin was suspicious. I made sense. No one ever heard about free pigeons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY GUYS :(((  
> I didn't mean to leave you all hanging like that but I suddenly have zero free time because school and work are legit just killing me  
> In about a month my classes end and I will have way more time and energy to write, but I may somehow squeeze out another chapter before then.  
> I promise I haven't abandoned this story, in fact I have so many ideas as to how it will progress!  
> Anyways, I don't plan my chapters beforehand and this one apparently decided to throw itself down the angst tunnel and there is still no flock interaction whoops :) but it has a lot of explanation so buckle up  
> Enjoy! (and stream Miroh!!)

Changbin POV

The cloudless summer night was illuminated with the silver of the bright moon that hung daintily in the velvet sky, surrounding the two young fowling in soft light. The whimsical moon beams shined on the waxy needles of the dense pine trees below as if mirroring the twinkling stars above them. They grew ever nearer to the clearing where they would land and the path that would lead to his nest, and the serene beauty did little to help calm the nerves that were now growing in Changbin’s chest. His earlier shock began to wear off and was replaced with questions whose potential answers twisted his stomach.  
So far, the two students had had little time to acquaint despite living together, and the sudden realization that Jisung was a fowling had thrown Changbin off guard as his only thoughts were to get him to calm down. An unexplained brotherly protection instinct had, for the moment, thrown all suspicions and questions out of mind. He had been so quick to suggest that Jisung join him and introduce him to his flock as a means of distraction that he hadn’t considered many of the questions that were now plaguing his mind about the younger boy. He felt bad for being suspicious of his seemingly genuine roommate, but the boy’s prior actions began to seem too curious for Changbin to not voice them out loud.  
“H-hey, um..”  
An awkward cough.  
Changbin sympathized with Jisung’s hesitance earlier as he now felt shame weigh down his tongue. He made sure to speak loud enough for the other to hear over the wind rushing past them.  
“I, uh, wanted to apologize earlier for overreacting and scaring you. I- I’m not used to seeing you be anything but happy and bouncy. And I kind of panicked when you showed your wings, but I’ve only ever seen pigeons with their masters or the government. So, sorry about that,”  
Changbin tried to speak in a cautious manner despite practically shouting over the wind, guilt slightly showing through his words.  
“A-also, I was wondering, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you know I was a fowling?” Changbin made sure to be careful with his words so he didn’t scare the younger away or give him the feeling that he was doubting him.  
He watched the younger, who had been flying slightly farther back for the whole flight, as he spoke, gauging his reaction. Changbin felt sharp regret as the mention of the government and the intrusive question caused Jisung’s face to harden into a slight scowl.

Jisung POV

Jisung knew Changbin was suspicious. I made sense. No one ever heard about free pigeons, and his past affiliation with the much hated government raised red flags for those who had been inflicted with government wrath before. It had been made illegal to speak out negatively about the high fowlings, and many regulations had been tightened to restrict their freedoms when a new leader forced his way into office almost 20 years ago. Lives and livelihoods had been destroyed due to the tyranny that has reigned ever since. Jisung hated them as much as everyone else, but being the government’s pigeon was seen by the common fowlings as the worst non-illegal crime one could be. Since his expelling 3 years prior the bright orange tag that wrapped around his right ankle had signified his belonging to the government and seemed reason enough for everyone he met to throw him out like garbage. Even the past year after he had ripped off his tags was filled with hate directed at him as they sensed him being a pigeon with no master. He learned to trust no one after he managed to conceal his identity and pretend to simply be human. After managing to forge citizenship papers and get accepted into the prestigious science college, which he hadn’t expected in the least, he was shocked to be paired with another fowling as his roommate. He felt drawn to the older because he was the first person to treat Jisung with respect and care. He had ended up following him around in order to observe how to assimilate to the human culture since Changbin seemed well versed in their etiquette and mannerisms. Humans didn't act too different from Fowling in everyday life, but Jisung was paranoid that he would be ratted out by some other Fowling at the college that figured out his awkwardness wasn't just nerves about school.  
One of the very few good things about being brought up entirely in the hands of the government was that they had been able to train him since birth to do certain things they deemed important. One of these skills brutally disciplined into him was the ability to sense the difference between humans and fowling, even if the latter was in hiding, and discern their rank just by being in the same room. The apprehension of his older roommate had thrown Jisung into a panic since the first day they had met in their shared dorm. While trying to stay close and learn from Changbin, Jisung tried very hard to cover up the fact that he was terrified of being found out with faux energy and optimism.  
It was exhausting. Jisung had deliberated long and hard on whether or not to just tell the older fowling, but the timing had seemed right in the forest and he couldn’t bear the pressure of faking anymore. He had hoped that Changbin would understand and not give him away and, after the initial fright that the older was angry, Jisung thought he did. Now he could tell the other was getting over the initial shock and becoming suspicious of the younger. Even though the weight of his secret had been lifted off of his shoulders, Jisung felt it come crashing back down as things seemed to be backfiring. He couldn’t blame Changbin, but he felt disappointed and a little betrayed as he tried to fight the fear that was slowly creeping back into his mind of being sent back. Jisung determined that reverting back to avoiding questions and simply following Changbin in silence would be the easiest way to stay out of trouble and maybe maintain the small piece of what he hoped was friendship with the older. 

Changbin POV

As time continued to stretch between Changbin’s question and Jisung’s answer, the older stole glances at the boy behind him. Despite the serenity of the night scene around them and the fact that Jisung practically glowed in the soft moonlight, the tension between the two fowling was growing more tangible by the second. The younger’s hard and guarded expression didn’t portray much more than the fact that he was clearly deep in thought. Jisung’s silence began to worry Changbin that he had offended the other before he heard what should have been an answer, almost too quiet to be heard over the wind.  
“I don’t want to talk about it, please.”  
Changbin was startled. Jisung’s earlier openness was a shocking contrast to the now closed off expression on his face as he avoided meeting Changbin’s eyes. Changbin had heard Jisung use that phrase a few times in the weeks before when he asked about his day or certain topics like where he was from, but he was sure that Jisung would be more open now that they had something so important in common. To Changbin’s bewilderment, the younger’s closed off demeanor and tense presence only raised his suspicions.  
He couldn’t help but think that Jisung was possibly a spy despite the clear scar he had caught glimpses of on the boy’s ankle from where he seemed to have violently ripped off his tags. Despite the physical evidence, the fact that Jisung clearly hated the government, and Changbin’s unexplained gravitation towards the younger, the damage to his family from the very organization that Jisung had been associated with his whole life seemed to subconsciously override his logic.  
The anxiety in Changbin’s chest that had originally been worry for the younger was now targeted at the fact that he could possibly be leading a spy right to his nest and precious flock. The sudden realization caused Changbin to swerve in the air and sharply dive into the dense forest below. His path of trajectory led to several lashes on his body from the sharp pine needles until he landed ungracefully on the forest floor. 

Jisung POV

Jisung’s sharp instincts had allowed the younger to sense the sudden change in movement, and he dove after the older despite the possibly dangerous outcomes. He crashed into the ground a few feet away from Changbin and sat stunned in a small bed of pine needles.  
“Hyung…?”  
Jisung was wildly confused and anxious that the older was now angry about his unwillingness to answer despite Jisung intending the opposite effect. Before he could ask what was wrong, or fearfully run off into the forest had it been deemed necessary, Changbin picked himself up off the ground with an agitated huff and began to pace vehemently. The older’s unexplained actions, and the fact that Jisung had revealed his shameful identity to someone who was now possibly angry enough to turn him in, caused Jisung to curl around his knees and shield himself with his wings for the second time that night.  
Changbin halted his pacing and turned to look at Jisung as a multitude of emotions flashed instantaneously across his face. Some of the few that Jisung could identify as he peeked at the older through his wings included confusion, anger, and fear, but also regret, guilt, and, would Jisung dare to assume, fondness?  
Despite the current fear bubbling through Jisung's body and his defensive stance, he couldn’t help but notice how breathtaking the older was in that instant. The crow had fully turned due to his intense emotions and now displayed his fully unguarded being. His once bottomless but warm black eyes were now a piercing light blue that contrasted shockingly with the dark hair that hung messily around them. Small black feathers appeared on the edges of his high cheekbones and faded seamlessly into his equally as black hair, framing his features beautifully. His wings were tucked behind his back due to the close proximity of the trees, but they shone brilliantly in the moonlight that had managed to filter through the branches. Even more intense than his eyes was the dark smoky aura of a fully turned crow surrounding Changbin and swirling around his wings and body. Although it was not visible, Jisung’s heightened sense of apprehension for auras allowed him to visualize the intense and deep energy radiating from the crow.  
Jisung distractedly wondered how pathetic and disheveled he must look to the older as he could tell his fluffy hair was probably tangled and sticking out in the wrong directions and his feathers were surely ruffled. Despite Changbin’s emotions forcing him to fully turn and Jisung’s equally as intense fears, the pigeon had had much more practice in guarding his emotions and was able to force himself to remain only partially turned. If Jisung fully turned, any fowling in the area would immediately sense that there was a pigeon with no master nearby. He shivered subconsciously at the thought and focused harder on keeping his turn at bay.  
Changbin suddenly spoke, shocking Jisung out of his spiraling thoughts.  
“Before this gets more out of hand, we really need to talk... And by that I mean you need to answer my questions without avoiding them. It hurts me, but I don’t know if I trust you yet.”  
Jisung knew what was coming and hung his head in defeat, bracing himself for the onslaught of a personal, yet justified, interrogation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was literally just angst with a hint of projecting my infatuation of Changbin's beauty onto poor soft Jisung.  
> We will see how this little tense interaction will play out in the next chapter ;)  
> I hope you enjoyed and will patiently await the next update!  
> <3
> 
> EDIT: lmao remember when I said I wouldn't be able to write for a month... well surprise, I just wrote another chapter within the past 24 hours that is longer than the whole fic up to this point uhhhhhh  
> Should I post it as one huge chapter or break it up even though it's one event/story?  
> Also don't forget to tell me how you felt about this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If all went well, maybe he would let Changbin in some day, but for now, surface level would suffice as well as keep Jisung sane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pt. 1 of the over 5000 word chapter that I wrote the other night instead of sleeping or doing homework :)  
> I'm excited to see what you guys think of Jisung's backstory, it will be expanded on as the fic progresses and we develop some more plot!  
> (Btw whenever it switches between the past and the present there is a "-" separating it.
> 
> Warning: Slight mentions of violence and mental manipulation (from Jisung's past)

Changbin POV  
Jisung looked so small and vulnerable where he was curled around himself on the forest floor, a few pine needles had gotten caught in his soft brown hair and grey feathers. His long legs were pulled close to his chest, his wings circling them so the only thing Changbin could see of the boy was his face from the eyes up and his unruly hair.  
His brain churned sickeningly with the conflicting emotions between protecting the younger and protecting his flock. The latter took a stronger hold on Changbin’s heart because, no matter how much he was pulled towards the boy for unexplained reasons, his flock had saved his life and he loved them more than anything in the entire world.  
With the sunrise only about an hour away, the pitch black sky had taken on a slightly lighter shade, but the dense foliage above them blocked most of the light besides a few stray moonbeams. Despite the fact that Jisung’s face should have been obscured in shadow from where it was facing the ground intently, Changbin could see his panic clearly written across his features. It was only then that Changbin realized that he had fully turned and his heightened senses had kicked in. He quickly raised his hand to his face and his fingers brushed against the soft feathers on his cheeks. A blush crept its way onto his face as he consciously forced himself to return to his half turned state. He was embarrassed that he had let his emotions take control that much, but he took his flock’s safety very seriously so he cleared his throat and approached the younger.  
He didn’t want to scare Jisung away, just get answers out of him, so Changbin settled himself into the pine needles a few feet in front of Jisung. Now that they were on the same level, Jisung lifted his eyes to meet Changbin’s but his wings remained as a protective barrier between the two.

Jisung POV  
“Okay, let’s start off easy. What’s your real name?”  
Jisung let out a quick scoff. The older’s intense emotions seemed to be dissipating slightly as he gathered himself in order to civilly converse with Jisung, but he was still incredibly defensive and intimidating.  
“Han Jisung”  
His voice betrayed him as it came out slightly shaky. The thought that he would soon be recounting his past had kept him shaken up even though the threat of an angry Changbin sending him away had passed for now.  
“How old are you?”  
Jisung had to think about that one. On his forged citizenship papers he had guessed that he was about 18 years old, but he couldn’t be sure as none of his masters had cared to keep track.  
“... 18, I think,”  
“You think?”  
“Yeah, I don’t really know for sure though,”  
Despite Jisung not elaborating on the point out loud, which had been the whole reason for this intervention, Changbin seemed to let it slide.  
“How long did you work for them?”  
“Since I was born up until about three years ago”  
“Why?”  
A yes, there it was. The question that made it seem like Jisung had willingly chosen to submit his entire being to the hands of an evil government. He felt betrayal and anger flare up at the implied accusation but reminded himself that the question was valid and not something he had never heard before.  
“I didn’t have a choice.”  
Jisung’s answer came out short and much more pointed than he expected. He broke his former curled position and instead tucked his wings behind his back, his legs coming to sit criss-crossed as he matched Changbin’s posture, appearing almost challenging. He now felt slightly annoyed and the need to be defensive to prove to Changbin that he was telling the truth. At least he was no longer cowering in fear but he surprised himself, and the older as well based on his slightly taken aback expression. The tension between them grew so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. 

Changbin POV  
Silence stretched on for a bit as Changbin didn’t know how to react to this side of Jisung that he hadn’t seen before. During their brief time together as simply roommates and not two Fowling, Jisung had been bubbly and almost hyperactive, sending spikes of happiness through the older whenever he did something especially cute. After the ordeal earlier that night that had brought the big secret into the open, Jisung had fluctuated between strong fear and wary ease. Now he gave off a defiant and determined, though still slightly unsure, air that one would expect from a government fugitive. Jisung seemed a little surprised with himself as well, leading Changbin to believe that this was not normal behavior for the boy. It made sense though; speaking out would surely have not been permitted if he had been under government command. Finally recollecting his thoughts, Changbin sighed and continued,  
“How about you just tell me your story then so I don’t have to keep searching for it,”

Jisung POV  
Shit, where would he even start.  
Aiming to keep most of the darkness locked back in the recesses of his brain, Jisung decided that his escape would be enough to convince the older to trust him. If all went well, maybe he would let Changbin in some day, but for now, surface level would suffice as well as keep Jisung sane.  
-  
(About three years ago)  
Jisung lay on his thin mattress after a grueling training session that he had been forced to endure that morning. He assumed that it was now sometime in the early afternoon but had no real way of telling due to the fact that there were no windows in this part of the government building, and the only time he was allowed outside was to complete his messenger duties, although they seemed to be coming less and less lately. He shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position for his aching limbs on the stiff bed, causing the chain connected to his ankle to rattle slightly. He never understood the necessity of the chain that bound him to the wall of his room, but every time he had questioned about it, he was reassured that it was for his own safety. The heavy iron bolted into the wall next to his bed and was long enough to give him practically enough slack to walk his entire tiny room, but never allowed him to reach the door. It connected to his body at his ankle where it was fastened by a guard to his tag every time he was left alone. The tag was a bright orange cuff of thick metal and electronics that acted as a tracking device as well as a distinct marker of his connection to the government. He only learned about the uses of his tag post-escape; before it had just seemed a part of his body since it had been there for as long as he remembered his leg being there.  
Sighing and rolling over again, Jisung stretched out his stiff wings as far as they could go, taking up almost the whole length of the room. He heard a sound at the door and quickly retracted them back under his thin shirt as a guard walked in, a small plate of bland food in his hand and some painkillers.  
“The boss told me to give these to you. He said you were probably sore from this morning,”  
Jisung was surprised, his master rarely interacted with him, let alone helped him, but he took what was offered nonetheless and thanked the guard profusely for his generosity. After the guard had checked the security of his bindings and left, Jisung set the plate down and brought the pills to his mouth. He hadn’t been given water so he forced them down dry, wincing as he felt them burn a little in his throat. He laid back down, not feeling up to touching his food after exhausting his body so much.  
His training recently had consisted of rigorous physical exertion while he was being taught hand to hand combat, as opposed to the few months prior where he had simply been focusing on perfecting his reaction time and the agility of his flying. He didn’t understand why he was being trained to do these things but, nonetheless, he felt a surge of pride and twisted satisfaction go through him whenever he knocked his sparring partner down hard enough that they couldn’t get back up. He might’ve been young and had a petite build and slightly malnourished appearance, but with the right precision he could land a punch that would take down someone twice his size. That morning, however, he had not gotten to bask in success as he was the one that repeatedly got knocked down. He had felt out of it the whole time, and it took a toll on his performance as he failed to dodge one too many blows causing the official to end training early out of exasperation. As Jisung began to drift into fitful sleep, he felt the guilt that he had let down his masters join the pain that throbbed through his body.  
The government had been the only life he knew and had brainwashed him since birth to believe that their cause was good, but little Jisung couldn’t help but notice that he had never seen anyone else get treated the way that he did. Although he had grown numb to the pain and unexplained longing for something that he only realized was human affection after his escape, he began to question the fairness of his treatment as he grew older and more aware of his situation. He was constantly punished even when he thought he was doing well, but endured it because he was told it was all in good intentions. Besides manipulating his body and skills to become an impressive fighter, flyer, and emissary, he was also subject to mind-numbing lectures and lessons that reinforced the government’s beliefs and taught him a little about the outside world so he would know how to fit in when he was sent out with tasks. These tasks were generally messenger related where he just had to deliver secret letters and packages, but there were darker and more violent missions that he promised himself would remain buried in the farthest pits of his brain. Once he had escaped and was able to reflect on what had happened to him from a non-influenced perspective, he realized that they had been grooming him to become a weapon for their use.  
-  
Changbin subconsciously let out a small gasp, ripping Jisung out of his head for a moment. He noticed how invested the older was, his brows furrowed and eyes watching the boy intently as he spoke, and hoped that meant that he was slowly gaining his trust back.  
“Let me finish...”  
-  
When Jisung woke up he felt a peculiar uneasiness. He had yet to open his eyes but could tell he was no longer in his bed, but rather sitting in an uncomfortable chair, his arms and legs restricted with rope. He let out a confused noise and groggily lifted his head from where it hung on his chest. He struggled to open his eyes but once he did he found himself in an empty room with a large mirror taking up one wall. He was positioned towards the glass and became entranced with his reflection. He had rarely had access to mirrors throughout his life except for quick glimpses of himself in the glass windows overlooking the large training rooms. His brown hair was almost down to his shoulders and his face looked sunken despite his round cheeks. He frowned at his reflection, watching as it followed his every movement, and focused on the ropes that were digging into his skin. He didn’t put resistance on the rough material, knowing that it would only irritate his skin more, but wiggled his fingers and toes to make sure they still had circulation. Once he determined that he was not injured anywhere, he glanced around the room, searching the blank walls for an answer to the question that roared through his brain,  
“What happened?”  
His voice came out strangled as it ripped from his sore throat. Man, he really needed some water, how long had he been out?  
Jisung’s thoughts were interrupted by the opening of a door to his right that he had failed to notice due to it seamlessly blending into the white wall. The man who stepped through the door was dressed in a sharp suit while his face displayed even sharper features. Despite their limited in person interaction with each other, Jisung immediately recognized the man as the head of the government; his master. His instincts kicking in, the pigeon quickly attempted to fold himself into a low bow but was held in place by his bounds and only managed to bend a few degrees before his shoulders popped and he sat back in the chair to relieve the pain. Fearful that he would be punished for failing to show respect, Jisung hung his head low and waited until his master would give him permission to look up again. The man walked over to the young fowling with long strides until he stood directly in front of him, finger hooking under his chin to bring his face back up. Jisung looked up at his master with confusion but savored the gentle touch as the man looked down at him with what was the closest thing he had ever felt to affection.  
-  
Jisung had to take a few seconds to calm down his breathing and the involuntary convulsing of his chest as he remembered the scene so vividly that he felt a ghost of the touch on his chin. Changbin was frozen in place as he watched the younger’s body seem to reject the memory, but as soon as he calmed down, the boy resumed speaking with a slightly shaky voice. Jisung knew he had to finish telling this story no matter how hard it was to relive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for putting the cutie through so much shit, idk why my brain does that but there will be so much fluff after all this it will make up for it!
> 
> Keep reading for pt. 2 and tell me what you think in the comments!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wondered what all of these people had gathered to watch, until the room fell to a dead, awaiting silence at the sight of him. Oh, they’re here to watch me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pt 2  
> Read the end notes for a quick poll! :) 
> 
> Warning: violence and mental manipulation

(Three years ago)  
“I’m sorry we had to do this to you little one, I’m sure your arms hurt. Here, let me untie you,”  
The man walked behind Jisung and pulled out a pocket knife from inside his coat, slicing through the fibers of the rope with ease. His limbs now unrestricted, Jisung stretched out his wrists and ankles while quietly thanking his gracious master. All the while his confusion continued to grow. He was getting such mixed vibes from the situation, from being restrained in an empty room to his master treating him with unexpected kindness.  
“This is an exciting day little Jisung, all of your hard work will pay off soon,”  
His master spoke with such glee that he felt excitement bubbling into his own chest. He longed to ask what the other man meant but knew that speaking to his master was strictly forbidden.  
After a reassuring smile and quick pat on his head, Jisung was left alone again, this time free to move around the empty room. He immediately walked towards the mirror studying his reflection once again. He ran a hand through his messy hair and looked closely at his eyes, they seemed to be a reflective pool of soft brown. His eyes traveled over every inch of his face and body, trying to memorize every detail before he lost the chance to. He briefly wondered what he looked like when he was fully turned, but was interrupted before he could.  
The door opened softly again, startling Jisung as he turned away from the mirror, bowing to the young female guard who smiled at him from the door. So far everything seemed so nice and pleasant, he really wasn’t sure why he had been tied up in the first place. He followed the woman into the hallway as she beckoned for him with another calming smile. The corridor was just as plain and white as the room had been, but he was amazed when their destination finally came into view. Through big glass windows he saw a large, circular room with arena-like bleachers on all sides. The room was not nearly the size of an actually arena, but the seats were filled to the brim with people, some clearly government officials based on their attire, while others seemed to merely be common fowling.  
The woman pulled him out of his gawking trance as she led him through the doors. He wondered what all of these people had gathered to watch, until the room fell to a dead, awaiting silence at the sight of him. Oh, they’re here to watch me.  
Jisung felt his face heat up and his body go stiff. He frantically looked around, trying to find any explanation as to what was going on until his eyes fell onto his master, sitting on the lowest level of seating and surrounded on either side by more fowling who looked just as important as him. He started towards the familiar face but howled out a sharp sound of pain as a shock was sent through him. Regaining his senses and catching his breath, he discovered the source of the pain was a serious looking guard standing at the edge of the floor with a taser gun pointed steadily at him. Looking around him he noticed more guards with the same expression and weapons lining the perimeter of the room. As he gulped in growing fear he caught the sounds of some snickers and whispers from the crowd. So, they were here to watch him suffer. Jisung threw a pleading look in the direction of his master but was met with a chilling stare and evil smirk that forced him to look away quickly. He was so confused about his master’s sudden change in demeanor from the soft actions he had just shown earlier that he didn’t notice the door open again.  
He turned around when he heard a small “oof” as a body was pushed to the ground behind him. The crumpled form quickly attempted to pick itself off of the ground and regain a steady balance. The form turned out to be a young girl, human, about his age or maybe younger, her long black hair a mess and her face filled with fear as she backed away from Jisung. He tried taking a step forward to ask her what her name was but she just stepped back hurriedly with a squeak.  
A loud voice suddenly boomed throughout the room, grabbing the attention of Jisung as the girl cowered in fear behind him.  
“Welcome all, to the initiation trial of Han Jisung”  
Huh?  
“The rules are simple, if he manages to complete his task in under eight minutes he will become a full member of the government’s secret guards, the position he has trained his whole life to fulfill.”  
Secret guards? What task??  
“If he succeeds, he will be the first pigeon to hold such a high position, and if he fails, he will be executed for treason.”  
Jisung froze, his legs began to shake but he held himself up with what little strength he had left. Executed? He was going to be killed? He didn’t want to die just yet. Despite Jisung’s panic, the crowd roared at the prospect of his execution and his eyes started to fill with tears. What were they going to make him do?  
“His task is simple: he must kill the girl to show his loyalty to the great master!”  
The crowd cheered louder and Jisung almost threw up. Once the timer started, he spent all eight minutes sobbing and pleading for it to stop, he couldn’t hurt the innocent girl who was also crying as she pressed herself up against the wall. No matter how brainwashed and capable of killing he was, his instincts and his whole being refused to hurt the innocent human in front of him, even if it meant his own death. The crowd booed at his lack of killing and the guards attempted to prompt him by firing their tasers at him. He refused to move and instead curled up into a ball as his body spasmed uncontrollably. The timer sounded after the eight minutes was up and Jisung’s body fell limp on the floor. He was quickly scooped up by guards and carried out of the arena, the sounds of the disappointed crowd fading as he was once again in the white hallway. His eyes rolled around in his head as he slipped in and out of consciousness, the only thoughts in his mind were “I’m going to die. At least the girl is alive.”  
At some point he had fully lost consciousness and woke up to intense pain. His breathing was ragged as he took in his surroundings. He felt sloppy mud beneath him and realized that he had been thrown into a garbage pit. He also realized that he had been badly beaten, the officials probably thought that he was dead and had simply meant to discard his body.  
Jisung lay in the garbage for a while, unable to move out of pain and the intense fear that he was now outside the boundaries of the only life he had ever known.  
-  
“I managed to climb out of the pit after a few days and was found by a nearly blind old lady who helped treat my wounds. After I was mobile again, I constantly ran, trying to avoid anyone affiliated with the government or who would turn me in. I managed to hide out in a huge old library at one point and learned all I could about the outside world as well as humans. After about two years I finally got rid of my tag. It wasn’t easy or painless in the least, it had become a part of my body over the years which is why it scarred so badly.”  
At this, Jisung absentmindedly lifted the right leg of his pants, revealing his ragged scars and brushing over them lightly with his fingertips.  
“I was freer afterwards though and I managed to somehow get into this college where I can hopefully lead a somewhat normal life. But then I met you and now we’re here I guess.”  
The silence was unbearable. The only thing that showed that time had not in fact frozen was the gentle, warm breeze that slightly shifted the trees and their hair. Jisung had spaced out while he talked, his eyes pointed somewhere far off into the forest, but they now returned to Changbin’s face. What Jisung saw almost broke his heart. Tears were silently running down the other’s face and his eyes held such a deep sorrow that Jisung almost started crying again too. Neither moved as they both processed the information. It was the first time Jisung had been brave enough to look back at what had happened since he started living his new life, and he felt lighter and was surprised that he hadn’t broken down in the middle of it. Changbin did though.

Changbin POV  
The older fowling threw himself at Jisung, startling the younger and causing them both to fall back into the pine needles. Changbin’s arms circled tightly around Jisung as he cried into his chest. Through shaky breaths Changbin managed to choke out a few words.  
“I’m.. so sorry… that I doubted you.. Jisung.. I’m so sorry … you had to go through…. That.”  
Changbin couldn’t imagine doubting the younger after such a detailed and horrifying description of just one day in his former life. He absorbed the pain and sadness that seemed to radiate from the younger and he could tell that every word was genuine. As Jisung told his story, Changbin felt his defensive and protective exterior melt away as the words pierced him. Despite feeling justified earlier that he was protecting his flock, he now felt awful for making Jisung feel doubted and scared. Since beginning of their flock with Chan, it had always been Changbin's job to comfort the newcomers they saved, but he had instead made Jisung feel the exact opposite. He wanted to comfort the younger but his own shaking from hearing Jisung’s story prevented him from doing much other than clinging tightly to his chest.  
After a few seconds of Changbin sniffling, he realized that he was still laying on top of Jisung and quickly shuffled away from the younger, mumbling an apology and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He cleared his throat and continued, embarrassed by his display of weakness.  
“I’m sorry... your story just reminded me so much of how cruel they were towards my own family, I can’t bear to see anyone else hurt by them,”  
His words came out a little strained as his anger towards the government began to bubble again, for the sake of his flock and now for Jisung.  
He sniffled again and shuffled a little closer to the younger who had now sat back up and was brushing pine needles out of his hair. He realized that he shouldn’t be too absorbed in his own emotions when the younger had clearly endured more. Jisung seemed to be holding himself together surprisingly well, unless he just wasn’t letting on, as he met Changin’s eyes again.  
“Hey, I’m sorry you and your family had to go through that as well-”  
Changbin cut Jisung off with a sound of protest.  
“But you’ve clearly gone through so much worse! I shouldn’t be blubbering like a baby over here…”  
“Please stop, I don’t need your pity.”  
It came out harsher than Jisung intended, and Changbin shrunk back a bit.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that... I just wallow in my own sorrow enough that I don’t want anyone else to,”  
“Oh... I understand,”  
A few seconds of silence stretched between the two, although this time it was less tense.  
“By the way, sorry again for doubting you like that… that was really shitty of me and-”  
“Changbin.”  
The older looked up in surprise as Jisung displayed the confident side of himself again.  
“Please don’t worry about it. It was honestly therapeutic to just talk. I know I cried a lot, which was gross so sorry about that, but you had every right to be suspicious and you just wanted to protect your flock. I realize that now... earlier I really thought you were going to turn me in though...”  
Jisung chuckled a bit as he realized how stupid he had been acting before. He was no longer a small child and he had fended for himself in the outside world for three years already. He shouldn’t have reacted like a coward to the first sign of danger, but it had been such a shock that someone who he thought he could trust like Changbin could turn him in.  
"I'm really glad you didn't by the way," Jisung added, a slight smile twitching at the corner of his lips. “How does your personality change so quickly? Geez, one minute you’re a bubbly child, then you’re crying and describing enormous amounts of pain, then you’re all strong and bright. It’s seriously gonna give me whiplash,”  
“I guess I’m just making up for all the time I lost to express myself,”  
Despite those words hitting deep, Changbin was grateful that they had begun to clear things up and the tense atmosphere that had been present since Jisung forced his turn was dissipating. He knew that there was definitely more to Jisung and his story that he had yet to discover, but he thought that the dark past could be put back in its place for now. With the exception of one thing that had been on his mind the whole time,  
“I know you said earlier that you didn’t want to talk about it, but I’m really curious to know how you forced me to turn, I’ve never heard of anyone being able to do that, it felt super weird honestly,”  
Jisung, still feeling light from getting some weight and fear off of his chest, cooed again, a small smirk gracing his features. The noise from his throat came out stronger this time as he intended to turn the older instead of it being an accident.  
Changbin’s wing shot out from his back again and he tipped backwards with their weight, eyes going wide as he struggled in the pine needles to regain his balance. Once he did he jumped up so he was standing and regarded a smug Jisung who was still sitting cross-legged on the forest floor.  
“Hey! Don’t do that, it’s startling and embarrassing!”  
Forgetting his sorrows from earlier, Jisung let out a small chuckle.  
“But it’s funny hyung, and besides, it feels nice to not be the one controlled for once,”  
Changbin sighed and sat down, brushing his hands over his feathers to calm them down from their ruffled state.  
“Well you still haven’t explained how you do it”  
“Yeah.. I’m not really sure how it happens either, I’ve got these really heightened senses though, especially for auras, it was trained into me when I was younger. The only thing I think it could be is that I can somehow interact with other fowling’s auras or something... You know that sounds a lot creepier when I say it out loud,”  
Jisung’s voice drifted off in thought.  
“Woah, so you could like, control me if you wanted to?”  
Changbin probably should have been wary at the thought, but instead he was just incredibly intrigued. Slight alarm flared in Jisung’s eyes though.  
“Uh, I don’t like the thought that I could do that to be honest,”  
“Wait I’m so curious now, just try to like move my arm or something,”

Jisung POV  
Jisung stood up, the two fowling facing each other now a few feet apart. The sky was incrementally lightening above them and Jisung didn’t have to strain his eyes as much to see the older.  
“Are you sure?”  
The other nodded.  
“Okay, here goes nothing…”  
In order to have better access to Changbin’s aura to mess around with it, he needed him to be fully turned. He focused on the crow in front of him, it took more concentration to fully shift a fowling instead of just half shifting them. After a bit of coaxing to the stubborn aura, the small feathers returned to Changbin’s cheeks and his eyes shifted to their natural, striking hue. Wow, his eyes were really beautiful.  
“Aw, thanks Jisung,”  
Changbin’s teasing tone broke the younger’s concentration.  
“Oh shit did I say that out loud?”  
The older chuckled as Jisung went back to his task. He didn’t know what he was doing, the other things that he could do with auras were just ingrained in his brain and had become almost muscle memory from his time being trained. He decided to try whatever and ended up just staring intently at Changbin’s left arm, willing it to move. It didn’t.  
“Jisung I don’t think looking at my arm will make it-”  
Changbin was cut off with his arm twitching, completely on its own accord.  
“Woah,”  
Jisung concentrated a bit more and the crow’s arm lifted higher until it was stretched above his head as far as it could go.  
“No way! Dude that is so cool, I know you got these powers or whatever from the government, but they are so fascinating!”  
Jisung lets Changbin’s arm drop back down to his side, completely surprised with himself.  
“I never knew I could do that. I promise I won’t use it on you without your consent or anything,”  
“Wow, I wonder what else you can do...”  
Jisung could do a lot of things, some were honestly really cool and others he would rather not think about his ability to do them or why he could.

Changbin POV  
Changbin still felt bad about making Jisung suffer so much that night even though the younger was clearly feeling better now. The sun was almost up and he realized that the two were still in the middle of the forest when he should have been back to his nest by now.  
“Shit, we should really get going if we want to make it to my nest before my flock goes crazy trying to look for me,”  
Changbin knew it was dangerous to fly during daylight hours, but they couldn’t just wait in the woods all day.  
“I’m still invited to come?”  
“Of course, I’ve gotta make up for practically traumatizing you somehow, and besides I still think you would really like them, it’ll get your mind off things”  
“Hyung you didn’t traumatize me, but are you sure they would be okay with you bringing a strange fowling to their nest, a strange government pigeon to be specific,”  
“Jisung, you literally just told me your whole escape story, you aren’t a part of the government anymore, and I’ll make sure they don’t misunderstand you like I did. Also we are literally only a few minutes flight away and it’s not like you have anything better to do,”  
Jisung shoved Changbin playfully as the older reverted to his half turn state and brushed stray pine needles off of his pants.  
“Hey! I could go back and clean our room, more specifically the mess that you left and promised to clean up yesterday,”  
Changbin was instantly reminded of their dynamic before everything went down, just two unassuming college roommates who procrastinated on chores and rarely slept. He smiled at the thought, but glanced mischievously at Jisung before pushing off the ground and shooting up into the sky above the trees.  
“Wait hyung! That’s dangerous!”  
Changbin ignored the younger’s warnings and pretended like he was about to fly off and leave the other down in the forest alone until Jisung let out a huge sigh and pushed off as well. Once again they were both in the air, headed on their original path as the sun peeked over the horizon, but this time there was no suffocating silence or heavy suspicions.  
“The others will like you don’t worry,”  
And with that the two young fowling left the pain and tears of earlier down in that little part of the forest and headed towards the place that Changbin felt the safest, hopefully he could make it feel that way for Jisung too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for slightly torturing Jisung but at least we got some more Jisung and Changbin interaction  
> I will try to develop their dynamic more next chapter when we FINALLY meet the rest of the flock. I'm excited to introduce the rest of SKZ, I've been itching to write more about Chris' character 
> 
> ALSO, opinion for the audience:  
> \- Should I call him Chris or Chan?  
> \- Are there any other ships that I should consider including?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changbin huffed indignantly and turned back to follow the path. He could see the edge of the house coming into view and suddenly felt a renewed desire to see his flock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exams are almost over so here's a short little chapter to tide you over until I finish the next one which (finally!) includes the rest of the flock. Geez it's been so long even I got antsy to write about them. Anyways I hope you enjoy and if you also have exams around this time good luck!

Changbin POV  
As the two fowling glided above the trees again, the sun crept over the horizon slowly, bathing the forest in hues of orange and soft yellow. The forest began to grow more familiar to Changbin and he concluded that the slight break in trees up ahead must be the ravine that cut into the ground a little behind their house. The tree canopy grew densely around the nest, covering it from aerial view so Changbin had to guide Jisung to their usual landing spot. It was a few minutes walk from the house but necessary unless they wanted to blindly dive into a blanket of tree limbs and leaves.  
As they settled to the ground in a small open patch in the trees, Changbin heard Jisung let out a large sigh of relief.  
“Man that whole time I was expecting someone to pop out of nowhere and drag me away or something,”  
“Aw come on it’s not that dangerous,”  
“Says the one who isn’t literally defying the highest powers just by being alive,”  
Changbin couldn’t argue with that so he just hummed noncommittally and began weaving through the trees on a barely distinguishable path that had been laid out by the hundreds of times he and his flock walked it.  
About halfway to the nest, Changbin heard rustling from behind him and when he turned around to see what the younger could possibly be doing to make such a racket, he let out a humored snort. Changbin had reverted back to his non-shifted state after they landed because it was easier to navigate through the trees without having to worry about two extra limbs, but Jisung was still half turned and currently had one wing extended as far as it could within the confines of the branches, trying to groom it. He was not doing a very good job at laying down the ruffled feathers or getting the leaves out of them because he was just dragging them through more in the process. 

Jisung POV  
“What are you doing?”  
Changbin asked with a clear smirk in his voice. Jisung froze and his eyes shot up to meet the elder’s from where they were focused intently on his prior task, his face flushed in embarrassment of being caught. Jisung quickly folded his wings behind his back in an effort to regain some dignity while Changbin just chuckling at him, still making his way through the forest. The younger shook his wings violently in a final effort to try and rid them of pine needles, which was ultimately ineffective, and caught back up with the crow.  
“Sorry, I just- don’t people only want to show their best side to others in the outside world? Or did I read that wrong at some point?”  
The phrase outside world really shouldn’t have been in Jisung’s vocabulary anymore since he was no longer being trapped “inside”, and he felt slightly ashamed that he still viewed everything in such a skewed way.  
“I mean, it’s nice to have good first impressions and you generally want to look nice if you’re meeting someone important or official, but you definitely don’t have to all the time, and my flockmates are literally the least formal people you will ever meet.”  
Changbin didn’t seem phased by Jisung’s strange question and didn’t treat him like a child or an idiot while he was explaining, and the younger was immensely thankful for that. He couldn’t imagine how strange it must be to have to explain the simple workings of society and basic manners, but Changbin didn’t seem to treat him any lesser because of it.  
“I guess I’ve never planned on meeting anyone new since the whole point of hiding for 3 years is to not meet new people.”

Changbin POV  
Changbin hummed in acknowledgment but cut himself off in the middle as a new question popped into his head.  
“Why aren’t you acting formal with me then?”  
Jisung had surely never seemed reserved or anything when they interacted back at the college, and the whole fear and pain and anger ordeal that just happened didn’t follow any etiquette lessons he’d ever heard of.  
“I thought you set that precedent when we first met in the dorm and I’ve just been going along with it since. It’s really strange but also really nice to be so casual.”  
“Precedent?”  
“You don't remember? You came into the room on move in day and said ‘wow you have fluffy hair’ and didn’t even introduce yourself. Then you shouted ‘dibs on bottom bunk’, whatever the hell dibs means, and face planted into the mattress before passing out. I didn’t think that was very formal behavior so I thought you just didn’t care about image and I wouldn’t have to either.”  
Changbin turned various shades of pink as he spluttered at Jisung’s recount of their meeting.  
“I do care about my image! I was just really anxious about being in a new place with all those humans and nerves make me do weird things.”  
Changbin inwardly cringed at how defensive the words sounded as they came out of his mouth. He hadn’t realized just how strange he had acted when they met, but if it meant that Jisung was comfortable with him because of it, he was glad that his filter had momentarily faltered.  
“I’m honestly glad you did that because when I first saw you I was really intimidated.”  
“Am I not still intimidating?”  
Changbin raised himself to his full height, which wasn’t much, and tried to make the scariest face he could. The facade fell quickly though as Jisung burst out laughing and had to stop walking to use a tree for support so he didn’t fall over.  
“What are you laughing at?”  
Changbin tried to not let it come out as a whine but it most definitely did.  
“Sorry.. that was just.. the least intimidating thing… I’ve ever seen,”  
Jisung struggled to get the words out between his laughs and Changbin just huffed indignantly and turned back to follow the path. He could see the edge of the house coming into view and suddenly felt a renewed desire to see his flock.  
“Whatever, stop laughing and hurry up! Don’t worry about your wings or manners or anything, they really won’t care,”  
Jisung’s smile faltered a bit as he started after Changbin.  
“Oh, well I just thought they might not appreciate it if you just show up with some scraggly pigeon stranger. Actually I don’t know that they’ll appreciate you bringing home a pigeon in any condition.”  
Jisung’s laugh came out strained and self deprecating this time, and Changbin decided that he really preferred the younger's real laugh.  
“Stop saying that, I told you they won’t kick you out and I promise they won’t hurt you. Obviously they might not be too thrilled at first but they’ll come around.”  
“Yeah, okay”  
The younger’s voice came out small and Changbin sighed, not all that happy that Jisung was losing the confidence and happiness he had possessed earlier. It would be hard work to get most of his flock to trust the pigeon, and even harder work to get Jisung to stop doubting himself, but he was sure they’d all come around soon enough. At least he really hoped so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw sorry for Jisung's emotions being all over the place he's just a very passionate and emotional boy. And also I have problems with expressing emotions oop sorry
> 
> I hope you enjoyed and look forward to next chapter which should be out soon~  
> <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung almost jumped out of his skin when a large object swooped right past him and barreled into Changbin, knocking the older boy onto the grassy front yard. It took Jisung a good few seconds to register that the object was in fact a person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Pride Month!! Exams are almost over and I'm almost freeeeee, which means i will hopefully be posting more soon.  
> I've also been planning some other fics so look out for those too!  
> ALSO if anyone needs a beta reader I would be SO happy to do that for you, I think that would be really fun! If you are interested leave a comment!  
> Also Also, I wanted to mention that I do not personally have ptsd or any trauma induced disorder so if my descriptions of Jisung's reactions haven't been accurate, I apologize and feel free to let me know in the comments.
> 
> Enjoy <3

Jisung POV  
At the edge of the trees Jisung paused for a moment to collect himself. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he chanted in his brain ‘don’t be afraid, its ok, don’t be afraid, just act calm’.  
While he wanted to see who Changbin’s flockmates were, he was also incredibly nervous to meet them. He remembered his first day at the college and the sensory shock of being so close to so many people. It had been hard to worm his way into the school with all of the forged papers, but after he recovered from his injuries from the escape, he set his mind to assimilating to human culture so he would be less of an obvious target. He had learned that most people his age went to college and was intrigued with the subjects that the science school taught.  
He thought back to when he entered the school gates for the first time, with only a few sets of clothes he managed to snatch from a human yard sale and a couple dollars he found on the ground. When he stepped into the common area he had almost passed out from being overwhelmed. He had never in his life seen so many people in one space, and so many people that weren’t trying to brainwash him or kill him. He had almost started hyperventilating until someone came up to him and introduced himself as the RA for the floor. Jisung had forced the nerves that were clawing up his throat back down and just let himself talk with this new acquaintance. The conversation hadn’t lasted long but afterwards Jisung couldn’t stop smiling because someone had just been friendly towards him and he didn’t throw up out of fear even though he came pretty close.  
Now, waiting in the trees, Jisung took another calming breath and tried to regain the confidence and mindset that he had had on his first day. He wanted to meet Changbin’s friends and maybe, just maybe, they could all get along if they didn’t chase him off instantly. The thought of having more than one friend made the edges of his lips quirk up, and then the realization that he actually already had a friend made the smile bloom on his face. Changbin caught his eye when he turned around to check where the other was, and the older couldn’t help but grin at Jisung because the boy actually looked genuinely happy. Jisung jogged a bit to catch up to Changbin, his /friend/, and tried to shake out all of his remaining nerves. He didn’t want his past to control him, and maybe this could be the first step to freeing himself.  
Both boys finally stepped into the clearing and Jisung’s breath caught in his throat at the sight. The nest was a large wooden 2 story house, beautifully crafted and welcoming. The early morning sunlight filtered through the high canopy of leaves and created dappled patterns on the roof and walls. Jisung could tell his eyes were probably as round as saucers and Changbin chuckled at him.  
“It was abandoned when Chan and I found it, we just fixed it up a bit and its good as new,”  
“Its beautiful. How long have you all lived here?”  
“Uhhh I think Chan was 12 and I was 10 and then the others trickled in a few years after that,”  
Wow, they had known each other for that long? Jisung was still really confused as to why fowling that young would be in a nest by themselves, but maybe something unexpected happened when they were kids. He didn’t feel like now was the time to pry because Changbin looked like he was about to just sprint to the door to see his flock.  
Jisung almost jumped out of his skin when a large object swooped right past him and barreled into Changbin, knocking the older boy onto the grassy front yard. It took Jisung a good few seconds to register that the object was in fact a person. A person with large, scruffy, brown and tan wings and curly blond hair.  
Changbin and the other boy laughed loudly as they rolled around on top of each other in the grass.  
“Ah hyung get off! You’re gonna mess up my hair!”  
“Fuck off Changbin no one cares about your hair, can’t you just let your hyung be happy to see you??”  
“Dude it’s literally only been two weeks,”  
“They were the longest two weeks of my life,”  
As the other boy started fake crying and Changbin continued to struggle to get him off, Jisung felt himself start to inch backwards slowly, his body almost moving on its own. He completely froze when the other boy noticed him standing there, the bright smile on his face immediately falling into a frown.  
“Uh, Changbin, who is this?”  
Jisung couldn’t help but flinch at the wariness in the boy’s voice. The two picked themselves up off the ground and dusted off their clothes before Changbin moved to stand a little closer to Jisung, as if to create a barrier between them.  
“Oh, right, so this is, uh, Jisung, he’s my roommate and I found out that he was a fowling so I, uh, wanted to introduce you guys,”  
Changbin sounded cautious and unsure as if he were coaxing a young child. Jisung felt a pang of guilt at Changbin having to feel nervous for him, but it quickly turned into his own nervousness as he met eyes with the other boy. They were a warm brown, but the way that his eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was pulled downward a bit made them less inviting. Jisung remembered that he had told himself to be friendly and not a nervous wreck so he put a slightly forced smile on his face and awkwardly waved at the other.  
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Jisung…”  
He cursed at himself for sounding so awkward and timid, but at least he said something. Jisung saw how Changbin was glancing between the two, trying to gauge the reaction as the atmosphere grew slightly tense. Jisung’s eyes fell to the ground and his muscles stiffened slightly as the boy studied him for a bit.  
They both relaxed immensely, Changbin even letting out a small sigh of relief, when the other boy’s frown disappeared and was replaced with a gentle smile, kindness written all over his features.  
“Hi Jisung, my name is Chan and I’m the leader of Changbin’s flock,”  
The boy, Chan, stepped forward slightly and stretched out one of his wings in greeting, but quickly recoiled, shocked, at Jisung’s reaction.  
He didn’t mean for it to happen but his instincts had completely taken over and his body moved on its own accord. After seeing what Chan was and hearing that he was a flock leader, Jisung’s muscles forced him to practically throw himself down on his knees in a full bow as if he were praising a king, his wings springing from his back and displayed in a show of submission and vulnerability. That’s how he had been trained; to treat people higher than him as if they were kings and submitting himself to them because of what he was. To add on to the fact that he was now completely folded in on himself, his body was shaking slightly and his breathing was labored, but these were for a slightly more logical reason. He hadn’t been paying attention before, but when he got a good look at his wings, he immediately realized that the leader was also a skua. Skuas were aggressive, predatory seafowling that were known to regularly kill and even eat other fowling and sometimes humans. Jisung cursed under his breath and made himself even smaller on the ground as his heart rate picked up and he genuinely feared for his life. 

Changbin POV  
Changbin was shocked. He had thought it was going so well. Jisung had introduced himself and didn’t even show a lot of the nerves that Changbin knew were filling up his brain. He recognized that Chan was surprised and wary at first, with good reason as it was kind of his job to protect the flock, but his leader had quickly gotten over it and Jisung even relaxed a bit. Chan was the person that Changbin knew best, and he was absolutely certain that the older would never hurt anyone who was innocent. He also knew that Chan could tell that Jisung didn’t mean trouble, even if his status did. So when Jisung had thrown himself down like that and displayed his wings, he couldn’t help but gasp and freeze a bit in surprise.  
He heard a strangled noise of confusion jump from the older fowling next to him and looked over at the other to make sure that that actually just happened and he wasn’t going crazy. His doubts were squashed as he took in his leader’s reaction; his eyes were as wide as plates and his mouth was opening and closing as if he was trying to say something but couldn’t get any sound out. He was awkwardly inching back and forth, not knowing if he should comfort the boy or give him space and, despite the situation, Changbin felt a sudden appreciation for Chan who just wanted to help the younger even though he was a stranger.  
When he heard a slight whimper from Jisung, Changbin pulled himself out of his thoughts and sprang into action, quickly dropping down next to the boy and petting his feathers to get him to calm down.  
“Woah woah, uh its okay Jisung, you don’t have to bow he’s just Chan he’s a friend, you don’t need to be afraid of him, I know he’s a skua and they are usually killers but I promise on my life that Chan isn’t, he could never hurt a fly and he won’t hurt you I promise you are safe..”  
Despite Changbin rambling on, it seemed to slightly calm down the younger but he was still in the same position, his head pressed between his crouched knees and his arms stretched out in front of him.  
“Jisung… uh, it’s okay to get up now, it’s really not necessary,”  
Changbin tried to coax the younger up but he wouldn’t budge. After a few seconds of glancing between the boy and Chan, who looked just as confused as he was, Changbin heard the small boy mumble under his breath, too muffled for him to make out.  
“Uh, what was that?”  
Changbin leaned a bit closer to hear better.  
“I uh, need permission, from Chan to, uh stand back up…”  
It came out stuttered and quiet but Changbin heard it and immediately looked at Chan, confused.  
“He said that he needs your permission to stand up?”  
It came out more like a question than a statement, but Chan seemed to understand, his eyes widening a bit before looking concerned.  
“Jisung, I give you permission to stand,”  
As soon as the words left Chan’s mouth, the younger boy sprang up, his wings disappearing into his back as he gasped in a breath like he had been holding it. His face was red and he seemed to cower a bit in embarrassment.  
“Oh man, I can’t believe that happened, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean t-”  
Changbin was a bit surprised as Chan cut off Jisung’s rambling with a tight hug. He saw Jisung flinch hard while fear and uncomfort washed across his face as the skua approached him, but it passed and he actually relaxed into Chan’s arms a bit.  
“You worked for them didn’t you?”  
Jisung let out a noise of confusion as Chan pulled back to watch him.  
“The government, but you got out I see,”  
“Wait, h-how did you know?”  
“I’ve had my fair share of their control too. I saw it happen once before, a long time ago. There was a young pigeon like you who worked for the government, and the one time I met her she did the same thing. She fell to her knees in a bow like that, trained to do it to the point where she couldn’t not, and I was told that /I/ had to tell her to get back up. I guess it was so long ago I didn’t recognize that that was happening to you,”  
“You worked for them too?”  
Changbin could tell that Jisung was getting more and more confused, his brows scrunching up more at every question, but maybe their similar pasts would help ease the younger’s fears in the long run.  
“Yeah but let’s not get into that right now, too heavy,”  
“O-oh, and you don’t hate me e-even though I’m a pigeon??”  
“What? No of course not! Dude I wouldn’t care even if you were a freaking penguin, you and me are in the same boat and if you’re one of Binnie’s friends, you’re one of our friends,”  
Jisung blushed slightly at that and a small smile played on his lips, and Changbin couldn’t be more relieved. If Chan liked Jisung then getting the rest to like him shouldn’t be that hard, they all generally respected their leader’s decisions. And if Jisung could relax around another person that wasn’t him, maybe he would feel comfortable around the rest of his flockmates. He smiled at the backs of the two fowling, now headed up the porch stairs to the front door of their nest, before walking up to join them. Chan knocked on the door to announce their arrival and Changbin couldn’t help but feel hopeful that everything might go smoother than he thought.

Jisung POV  
Despite being incredibly embarrassed at his earlier instinctual actions, Jisung was feeling a bit lighter because the first meeting had gone pretty well. Chan seemed nice enough even though all of Jisung’s instincts were telling him to get as far away from the dangerous fowling as possible. That didn’t change the fact that he still chewed on his lip and shuffled his feet a bit as he waited for the door to open and reveal more people that he had a feeling wouldn’t be as accepting as Chan.  
A loud series of thumping and two separate groans of pain could be heard through the wooden door. Jisung saw Chan shake his head in exasperation before opening it, and he was a bit taken aback by the two boys he saw tangled in a heap at the foot of the staircase. One had sharp features and soft black hair and the other had golden skin and hair that looked like someone just spilled pink, orange, and yellow dye into it and mixed it all together to look almost like a sunset. Despite his curiosity, Jisung stayed hidden behind Changbin and Chan in the doorway, only peeking over their shoulders every now and then to see what was happening.  
“Why are you two on the floor?”  
Chan’s tone had a scarily motherlike chide to it.  
“Uhhhh, I fell down the stairs,”  
The one with the black hair replied with a sheepish look on his face.  
“Well that’s nothing new,”  
Jisung could feel the sarcasm in the skua’s voice.  
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“It means you’re clumsy, idiot.”  
Before the two boys on the floor could start bickering, Chan interjected, this time directing the question towards the boy with neon hair.  
“And why are /you/ on the floor then?”  
“Um, I also fell down the stairs,”  
“Whatever, just get up I have someon-”  
Before Chan could finish his sentence, Jisung saw another boy, this one with almost catlike eyes and pitch black hair, walk into the front hall from a side door before smirking at the sight of the two on the floor.  
“You’re having a floor party without me?!”  
And without a glance at the fowling in the doorway, the boy flopped down on top of the pile of limbs.  
“Aw fuck hyung get off! You’re crushing my ribs!”  
“Jesus hyung did you just eat? You’re so heavy!”  
Despite the cries of protest, the catlike boy continued to squish the two and looked up at the newcomers in the door with a coy smile on his face. Too caught up in the amusing scene before him, Jisung failed to notice the other looking at him, the smirk replaced with a look of alarm, until their eyes met over Chan’s shoulder. Jisung quickly dropped down and attempted to hide behind the skua’s broad back, those eyes being just a bit too pointed for his stomach to not flip around a few times.  
“Who-?”  
The question was cut off by two more noises of confusion and then shuffling as the three boys untangled themselves and stood up. When he braved another look over Chan’s shoulder, he found them all looking at him with curiosity and surprise. He guessed they probably didn’t get many visitors, but their stares were making him very self-conscious.  
“Who is that?”  
The one with sharp features looked curiously at Jisung while pointing at him.  
“Hey don’t be rude!”  
“Uh ok, who is that.. Hyung?”  
Chan sighed for what seemed like the millionth time at the boys in front of him who were now hitting each other back and forth because neon hair poked the other in the side. They stopped their actions as cat boy, he really would like to know their actual names, asked another question that surprised them all.  
“Why did you bring a human here?”  
Now it was Chan and Changbin’s turn to be confused as they looked back at Jisung who shrunk under their gaze. When he had seen the boys playing around on the floor, he had suppressed his aura so he wouldn’t alert them of his presence and disrupt their fun. Now he slowly let it return, and even went as far as half shifting and extending one wing out. He flinched as he heard gasps in front of him and when he looked up at them again, he was met with a sharp squint from cat eyes as if the boy was trying to read his mind and an upsetting bewildered look from neon hair. The third one had his sharp features twisted into a very confused expression as he took in the other’s reactions and the tense atmosphere. Breaking the uncomfortable silence, Changbin cleared his throat, glancing back at Jisung before speaking.  
“Alright, well, this is, uh Jisung, he’s my roommate and also a fowling and I wanted to introduce him to you all.”  
“He’s a pigeon.”  
Jisung self consciously shuffled under their harsh stares.  
“He is a pigeon but he isn’t a spy and you can /trust him/.”  
Changbin made sure to accent those last words in order to get that point across early on.  
“Uh ok, well I’ll go first I guess, hello I’m Jeongin, I’m the youngest in the flock and I hope we can be friends,”  
The boy with the black hair and sharp features shyly displayed a half folded white wing with black markings on the tips. The hallway wasn’t that big so there was little room for fully extended wing greetings. Jisung was a little surprised to recognize the distinct thin wing as a tropicbird. He thought they only existed on ocean islands but it did explain why falling was a natural occurrence for the boy. Tropicbirds weren’t built to walk and he must have had to teach his body how to do it. He was also surprised, and equally as relieved, that at least this boy, Jeongin, didn’t seem too unfriendly. Actually he didn’t seemed phased by Jisung at all, even looking confused about why the others were.  
But just as Jisung thought that everything might actually go smoothly, his eyes met steely catlike ones that made him gulp and physically shrink away as the other took a threatening step forward. Maybe this really hadn’t been a good idea after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed FINALLY starting to see the other members  
> Who are the other two boys and what will cat eyes do to poor baby Jisungie??  
> Stay tuned to find out and let me know what you think! <33


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The red haired boy ducked his head slightly in a polite bow, but didn’t say anything or extend a wing. Jisung was a bit confused but didn’t push it, maybe he was just shy. After a beat of awkward silence, the boy approached him with a curious blank expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My last exam is today and I am mcfucking excited! Chapters should come out faster now if I'm not busy on vacation!  
> Anyways thank you for reading and enjoy!  
> 

Jisung POV  
Icy tingles trickled down Jisung’s spine as the boy approached him, sharp brown eyes boring into his own, calculating and guarded. Jisung’s brain fought with his body as his fight or flight instincts were telling him to run but his brain tried to rationalize that both Chan and Changbin were still standing between him and the other, and that maybe this guy just looked scarier than he was. The two boys in front of him then moved out of the way with slight confusion on their faces and Jisung gulped, his line of defense now gone.  
“Uh, hyung..?”  
Changbin sounded confused but it came out almost like a warning as he reached his arm out to grab the other in case he tried anything, the strange boy now only a few inches away from Jisung.  
He really was trying to stand his ground but his body betrayed him by trembling slightly, the close proximity heightening his nerves. Jisung flinched and quickly shut his eyes when the boy raised his hand a bit, expecting a hit, but opened them and let out a noise of surprise when he felt the right leg of his pants being tugged upward.  
Jisung stared at the boy, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, as the other looked down at his exposed ankle before humming in approval.  
“Huh, I didn’t think I would ever meet a smart pigeon,”  
The boy’s voice was silky smooth and a small smirk appeared on his face, still much too close for comfort to Jisung.  
“Huh?”  
The noise came from Changbin, now staring at the two, dumbfounded, and when Jisung glanced to his other side he saw a matching expression on Chan’s face.  
“If he still had his tag on the government would be able to track his every move and he would have led them right to us. He’s smart to have not done that or else we would all be in big trouble,”  
The boy talked with a matter of fact tone as he finally stepped back from Jisung, the younger taking in a breath of air as he regained his personal space.  
“Tag?”  
This time the confusion came from Jeongin, the two boys still standing in the front hall.  
“Yeah, he’s a government pigeon,”  
At this Jisung blanches, his muscles going a bit rigid and a strangled noise leaving his throat. In front of him, neon hair’s eyes widen but he still doesn’t say anything, and the confusion on poor Jeongin’s face somehow grows.  
“Was!”  
Changbin hurriedly called out. The strange boy just hummed noncommittally and pushed past the two in the hall silently, retreating back through the doorway in the hall that he entered from. The boy with neon hair gave Jisung one last glance before following the other, not having spoken a word since Jisung was introduced.  
Jisung was still left shocked at the boy’s strange behavior and the fact that he somehow knew he worked for the government, and glanced at Chan to see if he had any explanation. The leader just sighed and shook his head a bit.  
“Well that was Minho, he’s a bit of a strange one but he has a worrying amount of knowledge and intuition. Don’t let him scare you, he tries to act suave but really he’s just a pretty dork. Oh and don’t let him get too close, he’ll honestly flirt with anything that moves,”  
Jisung nodded slowly, taking in the information and trying to regain the movement in his stiffened muscles.  
“Um, I’m gonna go help hyung set the table for breakfast, but it was nice meeting you Jisung! Don’t let them scare you by the way, the hyungs are mostly harmless,”  
And with that Jeongin retreated down the hall, leaving just the three of them.  
“Well that went well,”  
Jisung shot Changbin a doubtful look.  
“You call that going well? I almost passed out when that Minho guy did that! And the one with the orange hair didn’t even say anything! All of your friends are so scary hyung,”  
Jisung whined a bit, not believing Changbin at all. Chan chuckled behind him and he swore he heard him mumble ‘cute’ under his breath.  
“Well Jeongin clearly likes you because he’s never been exposed to the government and there isn’t a single mean bone in his body. Minho seemed to like you well enough and if he thought you were trouble he would have actually done something about it, and Felix is just shy but he didn’t glare at you like he does if he’s actually upset,”  
“Felix?”  
“Yeah, he’s the one with the crazy hair and the honey colored skin and the cute freckles-”  
“We get it Chan you’re whipped,”  
“I’m not whipped! He’s just pretty!”  
Jisung saw a tinge of rose appear on the older boy’s cheeks and couldn’t help but smile a bit, the flock’s dynamic so far seemed a bit strange but at least they all seemed happy with each other. He felt a sharp feeling of longing surface from the recesses of his brain but quickly pushed it back down. He had learned long ago that too much hope for a good thing could lead to bad consequences.  
“Whatever you say man, hey Jisung let’s actually get in the front door and I’ll introduce you to Woojin, he’s super chill and probably cooking breakfast,”  
“A-alright,”  
He followed Changbin down the hall and into the same door that the others had gone through, Chan trailing after. He found himself in spacious, airy kitchen that looked out into a living room over a half wall. The kitchen was mostly cream colored with light wood accents, and seemed to be the perfect space for the boy who was currently occupying it. He had soft brown hair and a friendly face and was humming gently while he put some eggs on a plate. The boy seemed completely in his element and was so absorbed in what he was doing that he hadn’t even noticed anyone entering the room, despite Jisung not hiding his aura this time. Jisung could practically feel calmness and warmth radiating from the boy and decided that he wanted to become friends with him immediately, no fear attached.  
When Changbin cleared his throat to get the boy’s attention, his eyes snapped up to the two and he jumped a bit which in turn made Jisung jump. The younger felt a soothing warmth seep through him as the boy started laughing and he couldn’t help but let out a slightly embarrassed chuckle as well.  
“Sorry Wooj, I didn’t mean to scare you. This is my roommate Jisung, he’s going to be joining us for breakfast if that’s ok,”  
“Awesome! I don’t think we’ve ever had a guest over before! I’m Woojin by the way, I’m the oldest and kind of in charge of making sure the others don’t set the nest on fire,”  
Woojin made his way over to Jisung with a warm smile and extended his hand towards the younger. Jisung glanced at the hand and then at Woojin who looked at him expectantly, then at Changbin and Chan, hoping that he was communicating his confusion through his eyes. After an awkward pause where no one seemed to know what to do Woojin let out a small ‘oh!’  
“Sorry, I wasn’t really thinking, I’m still in college mode honestly. So this is a thing that humans do called a handshake,”  
Woojin proceeded to instruct Jisung on how to properly do the customary human greeting, and he felt grateful that the older was so willing to explain things, his knowledge of the outside world still a bit limited.  
The four boys fell into easy conversation, Chan recounting to Woojin his findings from the forest scouting he had done earlier, and Jisung realized that he didn’t think he had ever felt this calm in his life. Something about the presence of the older boys and his roommate made him feel safe, a feeling that was practically foreign to him. He tried to forget that some of the other boys in the house hadn’t been too thrilled to meet him, but decided that he should introduce himself to all of them because maybe the rest were this kind.  
It also dawned on him that this entire time, Woojin hadn’t seen or mentioned that Jisung was a pigeon. Did he not know or did he not care? Was he even a fowling? The thought alarmed Jisung a bit and he took a cautious glance at the older boy, focusing on the auras that he could feel in the room. Right next to him he sensed the dark but smooth, swirling aura of Changbin. Standing closer to Woojin, he reached out to feel Chan’s, and was a bit surprised at what he found. The older boy seemed to have two vastly different auras battling with each other to occupy the same space; one was light and golden and seemed to flit around him like dainty sunbeams, but the other was a dark and brooding grey that churned like clouds. It was like the sun and a storm were fighting to possess the boy. Jisung had never seen anyone have such conflicting auras before, sure he had witnessed some guards that had both a gentle and a hard side that was reflected in their auras, but none this dramatic. He couldn’t imagine how that must feel and the mental strain Chan must deal with to keep both in check.  
Remembering the purpose of all this, Jisung focused his attention on Woojin who was talking happily with Changbin as he put away ingredients and dishes. At first he thought that the boy might actually be human because he couldn’t feel anything, but just as the boy smiled warmly at something Chan said, Jisung sensed a small flicker. He focused all of his energy towards it and finally broke through, the stubborn aura now accessible to him. Woojin’s was very colorful but incredibly calm; bright oranges and blues floating around each other slowly, a Baltimore Oriole. Jisung wondered why it had been so difficult to feel it, maybe his was just not as strong, or maybe he was trying to suppress it. He didn’t know why the older would since he seemed safe and comfortable with the others, but decided that that was probably a bit too personal of a question to ask a practical stranger.  
When Jisung pulled himself back to the real world and focused again on the conversation in front of him, he just managed to catch that Changbin was speaking to him.  
“-et the table ready?”  
Jisung blinked, trying to piece together the first half of the question and just decided that agreeing with whatever the older said would seem the least suspicious. Some people didn’t really like it when they realized that he was poking around in their auras so he figured he should keep that on the down low.  
“Great, I’ll go find an extra chair somewhere and you can put the plates on the table, the dining room is the only place that we can all fit to eat together, it’s just at the end of the hall,” Jisung nodded and made his was to where Changbin pointed with a stack of plates, Chan staying in the kitchen to continue talking with Woojin.  
When he entered the dining room he found a long wooden table with 8 chairs tucked around it. A boy with dull red hair stood gazing out the large window that overlooked the side yard, seeming to be watching something closely. Jisung stepped further into the room and awkwardly cleared his throat, determined to introduce himself to at least one of Changbin’s flockmates by himself; this one didn’t seem too scary and he didn’t know how many more there were. The other boy turned around and a quick look of surprise washed over his face before it was replaced with a tiny, kind smile. Jisung couldn’t help but smile back widely, probably looking like a fool but he couldn’t bring himself to care because this kind boy just smiled at him!  
Breaking from his happy trance he exclaimed a quick “oh!” before extending his wing politely. The other boy didn’t say anything and ducked his head slightly in a bow, but didn’t extend a wing. Jisung was a bit confused but didn’t push it, maybe this boy was just shy.  
After a beat of awkward silence, the redhead silently approached Jisung with a curious blank expression. The other only stopped walking when he was directly in front of him and Jisung flinched, anticipating a hit on instinct like he had with Minho. Instead, the red haired boy took the material of his right pant leg and tugged it up until his ankle was exposed. Jisung just stood there slightly gaping and frozen in surprise, why did everyone know about his tag and why did they all feel the need to see that it wasn’t there for themselves?  
The other boy crouched down to examine the mangled scars on his skin. He was too shocked to protest as delicate fingers traced where his tag had formerly been, the gentle touch sending tingles up his leg. The boy stood back up, seemingly satisfied with whatever the fuck that was, and straightened out his pants with a slight pat to his thigh. Jisung was still fumbling for words with his eyes blown comically wide.  
As soon as he took a breath to say something that would have probably been an embarrassing jumble of syllables, the air was knocked right back out of his lungs. Strong hands roughly gripped his shoulders, shoving him away from the strange boy he still didn’t know the name of. Jisung braced himself on instinct, but still let out a squeak when his back hit the wall behind him. The hands kept their bone crushing grip on his shoulders and he blinked up at the tall boy trapping him against the wall, shocked. He was fully turned and had bright blue hair and bottomless black eyes ringed with a circle of striking yellow, and he was beautifully terrifying. Jisung, despite his fear clouded brain, realized that this boy was a hyacinth macaw, an endangered species of fowling that was known to become neurotic under certain circumstances. At this realization Jisung started trembling more than he already was and tried to duck his head away from those piercing, angry eyes.  
“Don’t ever touch him again or I will kill you,”  
The boy literally growled, his face close to Jisung’s and his intense aura suffocating. The smaller boy let out an embarrassing whimper and tried to shrink in on himself and just disappear. He fought the urge to cry as flashbacks of the times he used to get punished by the guards played like a too realistic movie behind his eyes. He shuddered as the hands on his shoulders suddenly reminded him of the one guard that always seemed to just throw him around for some sick kind of amusement. No one ever stopped the man because no one cared about how pigeons were treated, so Jisung had just learned how to deal with the pain, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.  
Suddenly the weight pressing his back painfully into the wall was removed and he took in a gasp of breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Regaining his bearings, he saw the boy who attacked him pacing back and forth like an angry guard dog in front of the redhead from earlier who just stood silently, observing with a blank expression.  
Chan, who Jisung assumed had been the one to intervene, was scolding his attacker who didn’t seem to really be listening. Jisung just about jumped out of his skin when a hand landed softly on his shoulder, a strange juxtaposition to the earlier pain.  
“Oh, sorry hyung, didn’t mean to scare you. Don’t worry about Hyunjin by the way, he’s done that to all of us before, it’s just his instincts to protect Seungmin, they’re practically sesame twins!”  
“Siamese twins, Jeongin,”  
Woojin interjected as he walked past nonchalantly with some napkins to place on the table. Jisung was shaken to say the least, and the sudden change in atmosphere was really messing with his brain.  
“Oh, uh, yeah, okay, is he always that uh scary?”  
Jisung stammered and his voice came out smaller than he would have liked it, but he was still quivering slightly.  
“Not really, I just don’t think he was expecting a stranger so close to Seungmin and he got scared,”  
Jisung really appreciated Jeongin’s nonchalant kindness and his adorable gummy smile, and it made his fears ease slightly, but the caring atmosphere was quickly shattered when the macaw, Hyunjin, pushed Chan away forcefully and shouted.  
“How could you let him in here?! He’s a fucking government pigeon!”  
The boy stormed out of the room and slammed the front door, shaking the whole house. Jisung felt tears prick at his eyes and he frustratedly wiped them with the back of his hand. He didn’t want to cry in front of all of these people he just met, even more so people who seemed to not necessarily hate his presence so far. Just then Changbin came running into the room with a confused and worried expression.  
“What happened? Was that Hyunjin?”  
Jisung made teary eye contact with the elder and he was soon rushing over to him.  
“Oh fuck, did he hurt you? I should have told you to expect that. Fuck I should have told /him/ to expect /you/, oh gosh, are you ok?”  
Changbin probably would have kept rambling with his hands floating awkwardly around the younger boy as if he wanted to comfort him but was afraid that he would hurt him, but Jisung let out a shaky breath and tried his best to put on a reassuring smile.  
“I’m ok hyung, just startled a bit,”  
Ugh, if only his voice would stop shaking like a freezing chihuahua. However, it did, and Changbin seemed to immediately pick up that something was wrong. The older gently took his arm and began leading him down the hallway until they were out of earshot.

Changbin POV  
“Seriously, are you okay?”  
“Well, he does have really strong hands…”  
It came out more like a whisper but soon Changbin let go of Jisung’s arm and pulled the collar of his shirt to one side a bit harshly. It probably wasn’t the best thing to do but he was a little peeved at Hyunjin for the moment so the action came out a bit harsher than intended.  
“If he gave you bruises I swear-”  
Jisung didn’t let Changbin inspect his shoulder for long because the younger quickly jumped away and pulled his shirt back in place, his face flushed red. Changbin stood there with his hand dangling awkwardly in the air, a bit shocked at the reaction. He hadn’t meant to harm Jisung, but the boy was currently looking at him with a big, scared brown eyes and he could feel the fear radiating off of him.  
“Oh, i- uh sorry about that, I should have asked first…”  
“It’s,, alright, sorry I just- it was just instincts I guess,”  
Jisung let out a nervous laugh and Changbin felt bad for not being more careful. The boy had clearly been through a lot, and Changbin knew he couldn’t expect him to not be a bit traumatized.  
“Okay well, uh, if you really are alright, breakfast is ready if you want to eat with us,”  
Jisung looked a bit hesitant so he quickly added,  
“Hyunjin won’t be there by the way, he just needs some time to cool off, he’s a bit of a hot head and can be overprotective but he’ll come around,”  
Changbin hoped that he wasn’t lying to the younger. He saw Jisung nod timidly and led them back to the dining room where the others were sitting around the table, an awkward silence hanging over them. He saw Jisung cringe and knew the younger was immensely uncomfortable. Changbin let out a sigh as he sat down between Chan and Jisung, feeling the anger still rolling off of the older and the nerves off of the younger. This was going to be a longer process than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and I oop. Sorry Hyunjin  
> By the way I changed the chapter names to just numbers because I'm bad at thinking of good titles.  
> I hope you enjoyed and feel free to comment if you have questions/suggestions/just want to yell at me :)  
> <33


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung gulped, he didn’t know if he was comfortable being alone with the skua leader.  
> “You don’t have to be so afraid of me you know,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> StrayKiss updating? less likely than you think.  
> oof guys I'm so sorry, I'm so much busier this summer than I expected but don't fret! I have not abandoned or forgotten about this fic, it's just getting harder for me to pump out chapters quickly.  
> This one is a bit short but I wanted to give you all something after such a long time.  
> Anyways, thank you for being patient and enjoy <3
> 
> ALSO, tw:  
> very light mentions of eating disorder? kinda? it'll be explained more later

Jisung POV

Seungmin had quickly followed Hyunjin after he stormed out, so the seven boys at the table chewed silently on their breakfast for a few awkward minutes. Jisung bounced his leg under the table anxiously until Jeongin cleared his throat.

“So, how old are you Jisung?”

“Er, older than you… I think,”

“Sweet! I’m still the youngest then! I’m 18 by the way so I’ll call you hyung is that alright?”

Jeongin smiled brightly around a big bite of eggs.

“Ok yeah, that sounds good,”

Jisung chuckled slightly at his childlike behavior, if Jeongin wasn’t so cute and friendly he would have surely died from intimidation by now. 

“You go to the same school as Changbin right? What do you study?”

This came from Woojin, warm brown eyes inviting as he looked into Jisung’s.

“Geology, same as hyung,”

At this Jeongin stopped his hand halfway on its journey to his mouth and perked up in his chair.

“I’m gonna study geology too! I’m just a freshman but I go to school with Woojin and Minho hyung,”

Hearing his name, Minho butted into the conversation from where he had been watching with a blank expression.

“Yeah I study Chemistry. Hyung does physics,”

And with that the boy went back to spacing out. 

“Felix.”

Chan suddenly spoke up from the other side of Changbin, his voice surprisingly stern. Jisung quickly turned to said boy in confusion, unsure why he was suddenly being called out. Felix looked up at the older with slightly widened eyes before glancing away guiltily and picking up his fork. The boy poked his food around for a bit before stabbing a piece of bacon and putting it in his mouth reluctantly. Chan seemed satisfied with this as he joined the conversation as well. 

“Felix and I go to a liberal arts college about an hour’s flight away. I study psychology and he does creative writing,”

Felix nodded quietly from beside Minho and avoided eye contact with Jisung while he crunched on the bacon.

“That’s cool,”

Jisung didn’t know what else to say so the table fell back into silence. 

“Um, so I thought since Jisung’s here we can give him a tour of the nest?”

It came out more like a question than a statement as Changbin looked around at the others, gauging their reactions to the suggestion. Minho and Felix remained silent but Woojin and Chan hummed in approval and Jeongin nodded excitedly.

“Sounds good hyung! Jisung, you’ll have to get a tour from our majestic leader though ‘cause I’m going to play some Smash Bros,”

Jeongin picked up his dirty plate and quickly retreated, slightly stumbling on the threshold after waving. Jisung didn’t know what a ‘smash bros’ was but he was thankful for the distraction. 

“Majestic? He literally dropped Felix onto the roof this morning??”

Chan scoffed and flicked the back of Woojin’s head with the tip of his wing. Felix’s ears turned almost as pink as his hair and he quickly followed Jeongin out of the dining room.

“Shut up I didn’t realize we were that far up!” 

“Oh so that’s what that noise was, I thought Chan just ran into the side of the house like last time.”

Minho snorted as he followed the others out of the room, leaving just Chan, Changbin, and Jisung at the table.

“Disrespected in my own household, these kids seriously…”

Chan grumbled to himself as he picked up the rest of the dirty plates and utensils.

“Let me put these in the sink and then I’ll show you around,”

Jisung nodded meekly and remained seated because he felt like it would be rude to do anything else. He jumped slightly when he heard Changbin shift in his seat beside him, momentarily forgetting the older’s presence. 

“So, what do you think of them, I think they’re actually warming up to you,”

Changbin’s eyes widened slightly when he realized what he had said.

“Wait I meant finally not actually, it’s not like I wasn’t expecting them to or anything…”

“I understand hyung… I didn’t think they would even let me through the front door to be honest,”

“Hey don’t say that…”

“I mean they have good reason to, I still don’t think Minho or Felix like me,”

“They’ve had hard pasts, I mean we all have but I guess everyone handles it different. Some more healthily than others…”

Changbin trailed off as Chan reentered the room, free from dirty dishes.

“Hey Bin why don’t you scrub the dishes while I show Jisung around,”

Jisung gulped, he didn’t know if he was comfortable being alone with the skua leader but soon enough Changbin groaned in annoyance and headed to the kitchen. 

“You don’t have to be so afraid of me you know,”

Jisung looked up at the leader guiltily. He didn’t want Chan to think he didn’t like him, but there was just something about the knowledge that the fowling could easily kill him with his bare hands at any second. He was also still slightly embarrassed by their initial meeting even if the leader had understood his actions. 

“Let’s forget about ranking and our pasts, yeah? Don’t think of me as a flock leader or even a skua, I’m just Chan, okay?”

“... okay,”

“Good, now let’s get you acquainted with this magnificent nest, built by who knows and rebuilt by Changbinnie and yours truly,”

Chan smirked as he made his way up the stairs in the hallway and Jisung’s heart did a tiny flip. This time he didn’t think it was out of fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the wait, I don't know how long it will take for the next chap but I really appreciate those who are actually reading this fic! I'm so shocked with the amount of hits and kudos, every single one means so much to me!  
> Also I changed the formatting for this fic but haven't gotten around to fixing the prior chaps sorry :)  
> Thanks for reading!  
> <3
> 
> (also the beta reader offer is still open and I promise I'll be much more timely than I am with actually writing lmao)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s not that dangerous if you know how to do it,”  
> Changbin shot Chan a knowing look and Jisung suddenly felt uneasy, already guessing what that could mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap is really long but I didn't want to break it up and it kinda makes up for the last one being pretty short.  
> Also it has some time skips of like a few hours (there's dashes so you don't get confused) because fuck this fic is taking so long  
> anywho, enjoy 
> 
> EDIT (I changed some of the names around in the last chapter because I'm bobo the fool, sorry for those of you who have already read it whoops)

Jisung POV

The nest was truly magnificent; it was made of rich, sturdy wood with windows that took up entire walls and soft, warm lighting throughout to make it even more warm and safe. Jisung followed Chan through the house with wide eyes and mouth hanging open. He’d never seen a building be so welcoming before. He had already seen the kitchen, living room, and dining room downstairs, so Chan led him to the other side of the staircase. When he opened the only door in that hall, besides the bathroom, Jisung took in a large room with two beds and tons of stuffed animals and cushions strewn about. Chan must have seen Jisung raise his eyebrows because he laughed as he regarded the mess.

“This is Felix and Jeongin’s room. And don’t let him know that I told you this but the stuffies are all Felix’s”

Chan laughed again at Jisung’s shocked expression.

“I promise he’s not as scary as he looks,”

Jisung stored that information in the back of his brain to use later as Chan led him out of the colorful, fluffy room. They made their way up the grand wooden staircase that Felix and Jeongin had tumbled down earlier and he felt a sudden pang of guilt when he realized that he was the reason that Felix wasn’t being himself anymore. At the top of the stairs was a small, square landing with 7 doors shooting off on all sides. Chan explained that two were bathrooms and the others were all bedrooms. The first on the left was Minho’s, then the next was Changbin’s, in front of them was Hyunjin and Seungmin’s shared room, and to the right was Woojins and then Chan’s. Since all of the doors were shut, Chan showed Jisung his room which also had a small office space and a desk. Papers and books were strewn about the room and Chan quickly jumped to try and pick as many up as he could and put them back on his desk.

“Sorry about that, haha I was just about to clean all this up when you arrived. I’m not usually this messy I promise,”

“That’s a lie Jisung, don’t listen to him,”

Chan jumped at Changbin’s sudden appearance with a panicked look on his face as if he had been caught doing something illegal. Papers fluttered to the floor from Chan’s arms and Changbin started laughing at him from the doorway.

“I finished the dishes by the way. How’s the tour going?”

“Good, your nest is amazing, hyung”

Changbin blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Thanks, Chan and I, uh, kinda rebuilt it a while ago because it was in bad shape,”

“Wow, that’s really impressive,”

“Wanna see something even more impressive??”

Chan had put the papers down onto his desk and butted in before Changbin could turn into a literal tomato. He practically dragged the two boys down the stairs and out the front door, nearly barreling into Woojin in the hall.

“Uh, hyung where are we going?”

“The ravine,”

‘The ravine’ turned out to be a huge crack in the earth behind the nest, only a few yards wide but incredibly deep. When they got to the edge of the precipice Jisung had to take a few steps back after looking down into it. At the very bottom was a narrow stream that trickled through the jagged rocks.

“Sometimes we have races to see who can get to the bottom first,”

Chan grinned widely as if he were bragging.

“You guys actually go down there??”

Jisung could barely look into the crack without getting vertigo, he couldn’t imagine willingly throwing himself down there.

“It’s not that dangerous if you know how to do it,”

Changbin shot Chan a knowing look and Jisung suddenly felt uneasy, suspecting what that look could mean. All at once the two fowling half shifted, wings springing out to the side and flapping up once before folding around their bodies as they dove straight down. Jisung couldn’t help but gasp as he quickly looked over the edge to keep the boys in his sight. Fear gripped his chest as the two neared the bottom and they just kept going. Just as he was about to jump in after them, two pairs of wings sprang open with a loud woosh and their descent slowed to a stop as their feet splashed into the shallow stream at the bottom. Jisung let out a loud breath of air that he had been holding and he clutched his chest dramatically. When the two boys rose back up out of the ravine with wicked grins on their faces, Jisung couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh.

“I honestly thought you guys were going to die,”

“Nah, I told you it wasn’t that dangerous. Wanna try?”

Changbin lunged towards Jisung with an evil glint in his eye but Jisung yelped and ran in the other direction. Changbin could run faster than him so he quickly half shifted and pushed off the ground, dodging Changbin’s grabs until the other somehow latched onto his foot. He pulled them both down and they landed in a pile, feathers going everywhere. When they recovered from their laughing fits, they both stood up slowly, brushing off dirt and black and silver feathers.

When Jisung stood up fully he glanced at Chan. Confusion washed over him when he saw the hard, almost challenging look in the leader’s eyes, but it wasn’t directed at him. Rather, he was looking right past him. Jisung quickly followed his gaze and turned around. Changbin had also seen what Chan had and was practically bristling next to him. The older stepped in front of them as if to create a barrier. 

The threat in question turned out to be Hyunjin, the dark blue haired fowling standing in the grass a few yards away. The boy was holding Chan’s gaze with an intensity that made Jisung shrink farther behind Changbin.

“Hyunjin,”

Chan’s voice had an edge to it that reminded Jisung of just how dangerous the leader could be if he wanted to. 

“I’m not going to do anything. I wouldn’t want to touch that filthy squab anyways,”

Hyunjin practically spat out the name before stalking inside. Jisung couldn’t help but feel tears prick at his eyes at the insulting words. He should have been used to them but the nickname still stung. It was the one the guards always used instead of his real name, they didn’t care that he had a name, he wasn’t a person to them, he was just a disgusting, stupid squ-

“Jisung!”

He quickly blinked the tears out of his eyes and looked up to find Changbin’s worried face incredibly close to his. He also found that he was shaking slightly and Chan was holding his arm like he was worried he’d fall over. He glanced around and took a slight step back, out of Chan’s gentle grip.

“Sorry, I- uh, sorry,”

It came out like a whisper as he shook his head slightly. 

“You, uh, zoned out for a bit. I called your name but it was like you were frozen,”

Changbin looked like he didn’t know what to do so Jisung put on a tight smile to try and make him relax.

“I’m okay, I just started thinking to hard I guess,”

He let out a strained chuckle and neither of the boys seemed to believe him but they didn’t say anything more about it.

“Sorry about Hyunjin. Sometimes I wish I could just knock some sense into that dense brain of his,”

Chan sighed as he looked in the direction that the fowling had gone.

“By the way, what does squab mean,”

Jisung gulped, he didn’t really know how to explain just what that word meant to him.

“Well, it’s like, um, a baby pigeon, but not- not in a good way. It’s kinda insulting to us so, please don’t use it...”

He trailed off at the end but both boys nodded in understanding.

“Lets, go back inside. I’m sure Felix and Jeongin have driven Woojin crazy already with their games,”

Chan chuckled nervously and led the two back into the house. Jisung followed hesitantly, not wanting to run into the hostile boy again, but when they entered the living room he found that Hyunjin had disappeared and the two boys on the couch were shouting playfully at each other. 

“Oh, hey hyung! Wanna play? Felix keeps beating me so I don’t want to play with him anymore,”

Jisung let out a surprised laugh at Felix’s scandalized look. Jeongin motioned for him to sit on the couch so he shuffled over through a small sea of pillows on the floor. He heard Changbin chuckle behind him as he and Chan plopped onto one of the big chairs, just barely squeezing both of themselves onto it. When Jisung got to the couch Felix glanced up at him before averting his gaze back to the ground and holding his controller out for him.

“Oh, are you sure?”

Jisung was a bit surprised that Felix was so generously offering him something but the sunset haired boy just nodded shyly and placed the controller into his hands gently. Felix then retreated to the beanbag that Woojin was already sitting on and sat down right in the other’s lap. Jisung raised his eyebrows but didn’t question it as Woojin just readjusted their position to be more comfortable. Jisung gingerly sat down on the couch where Felix had been before Jeongin pulled him into his side.

“What do you want to play hyung?”

“I... legitimately have no idea,”

He had never played video games before but he had briefly seen Changbin play on a small handheld device back at their dorm. He didn’t even know how to hold the controller so Jeongin had to fix it after laughing innocently at him. 

-

They ended up playing some racing game for hours, and Jisung actually got the hang of it after a bit. When he and Chan switched spots because Jeongin challenged the older to a match, Jisung realized that, besides Hyunjin and Seungmin who were probably hiding in their room, one person was missing. He quietly nudged Changbin who was sitting on the armrest and leaned in to whisper.

“Isn’t there supposed to be one more person?”

“Oh, you mean Minho?”

“Yes?”

All 6 boys in the room jumped and whipped around at the sudden new voice. Minho stood in the doorway with a bowl of grapes looking confused.

“Jesus Minho, we need to put a bell on you or something, you’re gonna give me a heart attack,”

Chan dramatically gripped his chest and everyone let out a relieved breath after the shock.

“I mean if you’re into that,”

Minho yelped as Chan threw a random sock at him and Jisung couldn’t help but let out a snort. With Minho now joining them on the couch and munching on his large bowl of grapes, the boys decided to watch a movie until it was time for dinner.

-

After they finished eating dinner at the large dining room table, two chairs still unoccupied, Jisung suddenly felt a bit awkward. Changbin was clearly going to stay the night at the nest because it was only Saturday, and Jisung didn’t know if he was comfortable flying back to the dorms alone or if he would even be able to find his way. Before he could dwell on it any longer, Changbin leaned over from where he was sitting next to him at the table.

“You can stay the night here if you want and we’ll fly back together tomorrow,”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to overstay or make anyone uncomfortable…”

Despite them whispering quietly, Minho still somehow managed to hear them from across the table, startling Jisung a bit when he butted in.

“You can sleep in my bed if you want. I mean without me in it, I’ll sleep on the couch, that wasn’t supposed to be weird or anything…”

Minho’s face tinged pink as he trailed off from his rambling and Jisung couldn’t help but giggle.

“Or I could sleep on the couch and not take your bed?”

“No no, it’s totally fine, trust me I can literally sleep anywhere,”

“If you say so, I’d really appreciate that hyung,”

Minho smiled widely and Jisung felt his chest warm a bit. Besides the obvious opposers, the rest of the flock seemed to be accepting him, and that thought made his chest warm even more as he returned Minho’s smile.

-

When it was finally nighttime and the silver moon cast dappled shadows through the huge windows in Minho’s room, Jisung crawled into the bed with a bit of hesitation.

“I still feel bad about taking Minho’s bed, won’t he be uncomfortable on the couch?”

Changbin had followed Jisung upstairs to make sure he was comfortable before going to bed himself.

“Trust me, that boy could sleep on a rock and still be comfortable,”

Changbin walked further into the room, turning on the bedside lamp and closing the curtains while Jisung followed his movements with his eyes and let out a quiet sigh.

“Thank you hyung,”

“What for?”

“Everything. I mean, we’ve barely known each other for a few weeks and you found out that I was literally the lowest rank of fowling like 24 hours ago but you’ve been so kind to me the whole time,”

Changbin POV

Changbin felt his heart ache for the younger so he sat down on the edge of the bed and faced him, a soft expression on his face. He’d been meaning to talk with Jisung the whole day but hadn’t worked up the nerve. Now felt like as good a time as any. 

“You shouldn’t be any lesser than me just because of how you were born, that isn’t anything you can control Jisung. Life isn’t fair, you have to take whatever it gives you and you have clearly done all the right things with it because you are here, safe now.”

Changbin sighed and looked down at his hands which Jisung was grateful for because he could feel the tears start to prickle in his eyes.

“I know I can’t change what happened to you in the past, but I sure as hell want to do whatever I can to make your present happy and safe. No one deserves to live in fear or be held back by their memories. You are so sweet Jisung, I just, have this really strong urge to protect you, like a brother, you know. I guess my heart is just too soft for my own good huh, I mean, I ended up taking in 6 kids as like, a teenager. But I don’t regret any one of them, and, I wouldn’t regret it if you joined us too, if you want,”

Changbin still hadn’t looked up at Jisung, but he did once he heard a choked up chuckle. When he met Jisung’s teary eyes and big, beaming smile he couldn’t help but feel his heart squeeze almost painfully in his chest. 

“You’re serious?”

“Of course! I talked with Chan already and he agreed that we most definitely have space for one more in the flock. This is a big house, we’ll find somewhere to squeeze another bed,”

Jisung’s bright smile dropped just a tad and Changbin panicked a bit on the inside, afraid he had said something wrong and the younger would decline.

“What about the others, I don’t think they’d be too happy about that. I don’t want to become a wedge in your relationships with each other,”

Changbin could tell that the tears in Jisung’s eyes were now ones of sadness and not joy. He quickly took the younger’s hands in his own and scooted closer to him on the bed.

“Don’t worry about them, they’ll all come around eventually. It’s been hard every single time someone new has joined, and it’s understandable. We’re all way too protective over each other and that can get in the way of new friendships. It’s something that certain members definitely need to work on or else they’ll be hostile their whole lives and never be able to trust even the good people. And believe me when I say that you are a good person Jisung,”

Tears were now flowing freely down Jisung’s face and Changbin had to resist the urge to wipe them away, afraid to cross any boundaries. Jisung sniffed and pulled his hands away from Changbin’s to quickly rub his eyes.

“Thank you hyung. I’ve never- I’ve never had anyone be so kind to me before, it’s honestly hard for my brain to process,”

Jisung let out a breathy laugh as he wiped more tears from his cheeks. Changbin was practically holding his breath at this point, anticipating the younger’s answer.

“If- if the other members agree, I’ll- I’d happily join your flock Changbin,”

As soon as the words left Jisung’s mouth, Changbin tackled the younger onto the bed with a bone crushing hug. He buried his face into the younger’s chest and smiled widely when he could feel the vibrations as the boy laughed.

“So I’m assuming he said yes,”

Both boys jumped away from each other when they heard a voice at the door, neither having noticed that it was open. Changbin felt his face turn firetruck red as he took in Chan’s form in the doorway, a knowing smirk on the boy’s lips. 

“Uh, y-yeah he said he’d join if everyone agreed,”

“Well, we’ll have a flock meeting tomorrow morning then to discuss it. Sleep well Jisung, and welcome to the flock,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap this thing is 10 Chapters and already over 20,000 words.  
> Make sure to leave any questions, corrections you find, or anything you want to yell at me in the comments!  
> (Also I literally love Road Not Taken and Side Effects, they're my new workout bops tbh)  
> <3333 Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungmin calmly padded into the room and gave Jisung a small smile before plopping down onto the floor next to where Chan had practically thrown Hyunjin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This chap has some (very) light violence but be careful if you aren't comfy with that. Also there's some cursing because we got some angerey boys™ in here.  
> I actually really like this chap lmao I hope you all enjoy it too <3

Jisung POV

Too loud, too bright, too much, too loud, too much toomuchtoomuchtoo-

Jisung jolted awake with a gasp just as another clap of thunder shook the house. He sat there in the bed panting, watching as flashes of lightning illuminated the drawn curtains until his racing heart calmed. He glanced at the clock on the wall and was surprised to find that it was nearing 9 AM, yet it was almost pitch black outside. He subconsciously realized that, despite the rude awakening, that was the longest he had slept in a very long time, and it was probably due to the warm feeling of happiness that had lulled his body to sleep. 

Jisung reluctantly pulled the warm sheets off of himself and gingerly walked to one of the big windows. He reached his hand towards the curtain slowly before another loud crash of thunder made him jolt backwards almost a foot. He steadied himself and took a deep breath before trying again. When he had successfully pulled the curtains back just far enough for him to peek through, he was met with torrential rain pounding the window and almost complete darkness that was only broken by the sporadic lightning. The tall trees surrounding the house swayed and bent dangerously in the strong winds and Jisung forced himself to step away from the window before he made himself sick.

He quickly took a shaky breath and carefully went to open the door to the bedroom, stepping out into the dark hallway. He saw that Changbin’s door was open and the room was empty, but so was Hyunjin and Seungmin’s, so he determined that the best course of action was to just find Changbin while avoiding Hyunjin. The plan seemed simple enough until he found himself face to face with said boy on the staircase. 

Jisung froze, panic washing over him as his mind raced with things the boy might do while no one was there to save him. Hyunjin took a threatening step forward, but simply growled at Jisung and shoved past him, disappearing into his room and slamming the door. The brief encounter left Jisung a bit shaken and his mind blank, and he had momentarily forgotten about the storm raging outside, so when a loud boom resounded through the house he jumped with a shocked squeak. He must have been closer to the edge of the stairs than he thought because the sudden jerky movement caused his feet to slip off of the top stair. His arms flailed uselessly in front of him and his stomach dropped with panic as he tipped forward. Just as he was about to yell in fear he collided with something, but instead of the hard wooden stairs, it was a soft, warm chest.

Jisung quickly looked up as long arms wrapped around him to keep them both steady. He almost shrieked and jumped again when he saw who he had fallen into. 

“Seungmin-?”

He hadn’t seen the boy coming up the stairs behind Hyunjin because the older boy had captured all of his attention in that moment. Now the redhead just smiled down at him sweetly, their faces way too close as they were still embracing awkwardly. Jisung numbly registered that the boy’s eyes were a warm, honey brown, almost orange in color, and briefly wondered what kind of bird he was. When Seungmin made no move to release Jisung after a second, the latter pulled himself away as quickly as he could without being rude.

/“Don’t ever touch him again or I will kill you”/

Jisung took a cautionary glance at the still closed door behind him, Hyunjin’s words ringing in his head as he turned back to the boy in front of him. He was still looking at him with that kind smile and Jisung was honestly starting to find the silent boy a little creepy. Without a word the redhead politely shuffled past Jisung on the staircase and gently opened the door to his and Hyunjin’s room. The contrasting personalities of those two was really starting to make his head spin.

“Jisung, breakfast is r- oh you’re right there sorry,”

Woojin started out shouting but quickly quieted down and flushed in embarrassment when he looked up and saw Jisung, still frozen at the top of those damn stairs. 

“Yeah, yeah okay I’m coming,”

He carefully padded the rest of the way down the stairs and into the kitchen where Chan and Felix were talking over matching bowls of cereal. Felix must not have noticed that Jisung had entered the room because the previously expressive and relaxed boy abruptly stopped talking mid-sentence. At the sudden change in noise, Jisung looked up to see what had happened and found the freckled boy staring at him strangely. Feeling like an intruder, Jisung quickly grabbed a piece of toast and slunk around the half-wall. He plopped onto the couch in the living room, sliding down enough so he couldn’t be seen from the kitchen and taking an aggressive bite out of his toast.

As the two started up their conversation again, Jisung sighed heavily. He really wanted to be a part of the flock and maybe actually have a purpose in life, but it seemed like that option wasn’t going to be available, at least not for a long time or maybe ever. He wanted them to like him, he wanted Felix to not be so uncomfortable whenever he’s in the room, he wanted Hyunjin to at least give him a chance, he wanted- 

“You okay over there,”

Jisung audibly gasped as the soft voice ripped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see who had spoken and found Minho sitting on the beanbag chair diagonal from the couch, his catlike eyes pointed hard at a book in his hands while he chewed on a waffle. 

“Uh yeah, I’m fine, why do you ask,”

Just as he said it another loud clap of thunder made him jump a few inches off the couch. He laughed nervously and briefly saw just the corners of Minho’s mouth twitch upwards, the boy still not looking at him. 

“Your leg was bouncing and it was making my head hurt,”

Jisung blinked, he hadn’t realized he had even been moving before.

“Uh, ok, sorry, um thanks again for letting me use your bed last night, it was comfy…”

He trailed off, unsure if the boy was even listening to him because of how focused he seemed on that book. Minho just hummed in recognition with a mouthful of waffle and then the conversation was over. Jisung was finally saved from the excruciating silence when Jeongin trudged into the room, whining.

“Hyuuuuung, it’s too earlyyyy,”

The boy seemed to have just dragged himself out of bed and it made Jisung snort because it was already past 9. Jeongin plopped himself down on top of Minho who just rolled his eyes and paid him no attention. The youngest promptly fell asleep in Minho’s lap and Jisung had to stop himself from cooing at the cuteness, unless he wanted Minho to accidentally get a facefull of Jeongin’s long wings.

After a bit of listening to Jeongin’s snoring, Chan entered the living room followed by Woojin who was practically dragging a reluctant Felix behind him. After looking around the room and noticing who was missing Chan sighed and announced he would go get the others from upstairs. Hearing the commotion, Jeongin shifted around in Minho’s lap and yawned loudly.

“Oh, Minho hyung, your book’s the wrong way,”

As Minho started spluttering, his ears turning pink, Jisung looked and, sure enough, the book that the older had been so intently focused on was upside down in his hands. Before Jisung had any time to think about that revelation, Chan entered the room literally dragging Hyunjin by his bicep. Seungmin calmly padded into the room after them and gave Jisung a small smile before plopping down onto the floor next to where Chan had practically thrown Hyunjin. The blue haired boy was sat across from the couch where Jisung was, directing an angry stare at him that sent chills down his back. Jisung quickly tore his wide eyes away from that frigid gaze in time to see Seungmin reach out a slender hand and softly envelop Hyunjin’s clenched fist. Without moving his eyes, the older slowly unfurled his hand in order to gently grasp the other’s with a softness that Jisung didn’t think the boy could possess. He looked away from their entwined hands only when he felt the couch dip with the weight of another person next to him. 

He glanced over and found Changbin looking at him with a kind smile, but he could see something akin to pity swimming in the boy’s dark eyes. This made his stomach twist with sadness. He would stand by his requirement of a unanimous agreement to join the flock, but he, and apparently Changbin as well, already knew it was uncertain if that was possible.

“Alright so, as most of you know, we are having a flock meeting because Changbin and I have decided to invite Jisung to be a part of our flock, he agreed so long as everyone is comfortable with the decision,”

At the same time that Jeongin squealed in excitement at Chan’s announcement, Hyunjin let out an obnoxious scoff and turned his head away.

“God, why won’t you just give him a fucking cha-”

“Changbin,”

Woojin caught the arm of the black haired boy just as he stood to confront Hyunjin, slowly pulling him back down onto the couch. The eldest had a serious expression on his face that Jisung found was matched by Chan, the boy catching Changbin’s angry gaze from where he stood near the TV and shaking his head lightly. Jisung was grateful, and a little shocked, that Changbin was standing up for him like that, but he felt a pang of guilt that he was hurting the flock’s relationships just by being there. The thought made him shrink further into the couch, but when Changbin noticed the movement, the boy who was still fuming from his outburst shyly placed his hand on Jisung’s knee, an action that the younger took to mean ‘I’ll protect you’. 

“Alright, how about we just, raise your hand if you want Jisung to be the newest member of our flock,”

Chan said it hesitantly as he glanced between Hyunjin and Changbin as if to make sure they weren’t going to pounce on each other. Both boys were silent, but the atmosphere was so tense that even Jeongin had cowered slightly into Minho’s arms. Jisung heard the rustling of arms being raised and looked around hurriedly to count how many there were, his fate of friendship and possibly happiness resting on this one vote. Now that he had gotten a taste of how good it was to feel liked and happy, he didn’t know if he could go back to being alone like before. 

Next to him, Changbin raised his hand pointedly as he glared at Hyunjin as if to challenge the boy. Both Woojin and Chan had their hands raised as they also looked around to count. Jeongin’s hand had been the first one up. Jisung nervously looked at Minho and found the boy’s hand also raised behind Jeongin’s, but his face was turned away as he stared at the ground with a blank expression. Jisung leaned forward a tiny bit to see past Woojin and found Felix staring directly at him with wide eyes that had too many emotions swirling in them to pick just one. The boy didn’t have his hand raised and Jisung’s stomach dropped, but the shy boy just looked away before slowly joining the rest in agreement. Jisung felt his hope rise at the new development that Felix wanted him in the flock, but didn’t let it get too high because there were still two voters left. Jisung took a deep breath before looking at the two boys on the floor across from him. He was shocked with what he found.

He had expected Hyunjin to disagree, but when he found Seungmin’s hand down as well, the pain in his chest became hard to stand. The red haired boy that had been so kind to him and always gave him sweet smiles that caused his chest to warm with an almost foreign happy feeling, was now staring down at the joined hands between him and Hyunjin with a blank expression, his other arm hanging down by his side as he picked at the carpet. 

“What the fuck?!”

Jisung jumped as Changbin shot up off the couch and, before anyone could stop him, had stormed over to the pair and ripped their hands apart, leaving everyone stunned. Hyunjin moved first, jumping up and pushing Changbin away with a force that almost sent him flying into the wall. Changbin seemed unaffected by this as he approached Seungmin again.

“I know you and Hyunjin are like fucking siamese twins but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own god damn decisions! I’ve seen the way you smile at Jisung, don’t pretend you don’t want him here,”

“Get the fuck away from him Changbin,”

Hyunjin grabbed the other by his shoulders, his hair a brighter blue with matching feathers on his cheekbones and his irises encircled with yellow, fully shifted but wings tucked away, the same as when he’d first shoved Jisung into the wall when they met. Triggered by the other’s strong aura, Changbin’s eyes flashed to a striking light blue as he turned and lunged at the other. 

Finally breaking from their trances, both Chan and Minho, the latter having shoved Jeongin off his lap and onto the floor, jumped at the two now tussling on the carpet while everyone else just watched, shocked. Before they could be dragged away by either of the older boys, Hyunjin managed to pin Changbin down underneath him and growl directly in his face.

“If you ever lay a hand on him or even think about yelling at him again, just remember this moment as a warning before you do,”

And with that, the macaw drew back his fist and swiftly punched Changbin in the nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh *does Italian hand kiss thingy* she angsty.  
> Thanks for reading and we'll see what happens to these kids v soon <3  
> Don't forget to comment if you want bbs


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He watched the grey haired man pick up both boys in his arms and push off the ground, wings opening as he rose into the stormy sky again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof idk how I feel about this chapter but its mostly not Jisung's POV, I hope you all find it interesting! <333
> 
> TW: past physical abuse and trauma, also slight mentions of blood

Jisung POV

Jisung didn’t realize he was shaking until Woojin put a hand on his shoulder, the older boy looking at him with sadness and concern. Jisung sniffed and shot him a shaky smile in thanks before turning back to the scene in front of him, arms coming to curl around himself.

Hyunjin was still fuming, being restrained by a very pissed off Minho, while Chan was helping Changbin up off the floor and out of the room. Jisung felt sick when he caught a glimpse of the blood gushing from Changbin’s nose. He was the cause of this, the fight was his fault, he got Changbin hurt, he-

Jisung jumped when he felt gentle fingers swipe at his cheeks, collecting tears that he hadn’t noticed were streaming down his face. He looked up to find red hair and warm honey eyes and had to immediately look away as more tears threatened to spill. Seungmin tapped his cheek, causing Jisung to meet his eyes again. The boy gave him one of his kind smiles, this one shaky but warm nonetheless. He then tugged on Jisung’s wrist and lifted his palm up. 

Hyunjin began yelling at Minho to let him go but it was only background noise to Jisung. Instead, he was transfixed with the boy in front of him as he spelled out “I’m sorry” with the tip of his finger on Jisung’s open palm. Before the shocked boy could choke out any words, Seungmin retreated out the door. Hyunjin broke free from Minho’s grip to run after the redhead and Woojin instructed the boy to just let him go and cool off. Jisung sat, shocked in silence as fresh tears made their way down his cheeks. He had been the reason that Seungmin got yelled at, but the boy had apologized to /him/. He didn’t know why he hadn’t voted to let him stay, if he had just done what Hyunjin had or not, but he couldn’t find it in himself to feel anything but gratitude towards Seungmin’s unrelenting kindness. 

Sometime during the whole thing Felix had disappeared, and now, as Woojin and Minho left to help Chan deal with Changbin, Jisung was left with Jeongin. The younger boy cautiously crept over to Jisung, his own tears in his eyes, and sat next to him before enveloping him in a warm hug. Jisung melted into the embrace and the two just sat there in each other’s arms for a while. It was only then that he noticed the storm had let up outside, rays of sunshine now trying to poke through the closed curtains of the living room. At least mother nature was feeling better despite the looming negative energy in the nest. It took a while for either boy to want to let go of the other, but Jeongin finally broke the silence and mumbled into his hair.

“Don’t feel bad Jisung hyung, they didn’t want me when I first came either,”

The choice of wording sent a jab into Jisung’s heart but he knew what the younger was trying to say. Jeongin pulled away slowly but stayed close to Jisung on the couch. He looked over at the older with a sadness that didn’t look right on the usually hyper boy before letting out a big sigh. 

“They found me 3 years ago, I was only 15 then. Chan hadn’t been trying to save me but I tagged along anyway, I would still be living on the streets if the flock wasn’t so easy to convince and didn’t have such a big heart,”

“Oh. Where were you when Chan, uh, found you?”

“Ah well, that’s, kinda a long story,”

“If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine but, I do have plenty of time,”

Jisung gestured around the empty room and Jeongin sighed again, his brows scrunching up and eyes becoming almost reminiscent.

-

(3 years ago)

Jeongin POV

Jeongin couldn’t take it anymore. He’d lived by himself on that island for his whole life and it was agonizing. He’s not quite sure how he had ended up there or where his family went, but he knew that he needed to get away. 

He’d heard about the mainland from passing seafowling, and that’s exactly where he planned to go. It sounded wonderful with its busy cities and exciting opportunities, but he was a bit wary of the amount of non-fowling living there too. He figured that anything was better than the isolated chunk of rock that he lived on for as long as he could remember. 

The flight had been a bit difficult because his only directions to find the mainland were “west”, provided helpfully by a random seagull he ran into, and while that would usually be enough for a sailor, Jeongin had no idea which way was west. At least he didn’t have much to carry, only a few old notebooks and the clothes on his back, despite those being a bit tattered and wind torn.

Once his long wings found him nearing the mainland, anxiety flared up in his chest. He wasn’t sure how he would blend in since he’d never even seen a human before and didn’t know anything about human or fowling culture. 

Jeongin stayed at the docks of the mainland for a few days, too afraid of what might be in store for an outsider like him and hesitant to leave the safety and familiarity of the sea. He hid in boats and empty crates to avoid being caught, stealing fish off of carts and even found a taste for apples, which he had never had before. 

The day that everything simultaneously went completely wrong and completely right, started with one of the worst storms Jeongin had ever seen. It had been a few days since he arrived, and he was still a bit worn out from the long journey, so he woke up around midday, completely drenched. He had been resting beneath one of the docks, but the wooden planks had done nothing to prevent the rain from pouring through. There was nothing that Jeongin could do but shiver and hope that the storm passed quickly until he heard the loud blare of a ship’s horn announcing its arrival. He felt sorry for that captain, trying to dock in this downpour. 

Jeongin knew something was off when he heard the pounding of heavy boots on the deck overhead. Through the sections in the planks he could see uniformed men heading diligently to the end of the pier to meet the docking cargo ship. He’d never seen so many workers for one ship before, so he decided, against his better thinking, that he should go investigate. He made extra sure that his wings were, in fact, tucked away before he crawled out from under the dock. The rain had let up just slightly, but the wooden planks were extremely slippery with water and that, paired with the fact that Jeongin had only just taught himself how to walk without the help of his wings, made being stealthy a very hard feat. 

He didn’t want to be seen sneaking around, so he ducked behind large crates and moving equipment until he found himself near the end of the pier. Before him sat a huge, dark grey cargo ship, filled to the brim with containers and crates. What confused Jeongin the most was the huge crowd forming on the dock in front of it. He couldn’t see what the commotion was about, but when a huge door opened and lowered into a ramp, they started to get rowdy. The uniformed men from before acted as barriers and pushed the crowd away from the ship door as heavy machines began unloading the contents. 

Jeongin stationed himself behind a well placed barrel so he could get a good view of the crowd and find out what they were standing out in this pouring rain for. At the same time as the object of the crowd’s desire, it looked like just another small crate, came into view, Jeongin’s legs decided they had had enough and collapsed from under him. He hit the ground and lost sight right as the crate was being lowered to the dock instead of transferring to another ship like the others. He scrambled to stand again, this time leaning heavily on the barrel for support, and tried to peek over the crowd. Before he could find the crate again, his eyes caught a flash of movement to his right. He turned his head and examined the area but found nothing more than other barrels and old fishing nets. But as soon as he gave up on his search, he saw the movement again, this time a bit farther off. He had been ready that time so, even through the rain and crowds, he caught a glimpse of a boy darting between boxes and equipment like he had done earlier. 

His curiosity got the better of him so he abandoned his first quest to quickly, but unsteadily, follow the other boy. He got a few feet away from the figure before he froze, not knowing what he was supposed to do from there. He couldn’t build up enough courage to confront the suspicious man so he just kept his distance and watched him watch the crowd. The boy looked older than him and had unruly grey hair that somehow kept its curls even in the pouring rain. Jeongin could feel a very confident and dauntless air emanating from him and couldn’t help but be transfixed with the boy. 

Suddenly the stranger sprang from his hiding place and Jeongin was quick to take it, following the grey hair with his eyes as it darted through the crowd. At one point he lost him but quickly spotted the boy crouched behind a big box near the center of the crowd. The onlookers were so entranced with what was in the mysterious crate that no one seemed to notice the boy hiding behind it. Jeongin wasn’t sure what his objective was, but he found himself quietly rooting for the boy. 

As the grey haired man waited for something to happen, Jeongin focused his attention back to its original objective. When his eyes adjusted again in the pouring rain, he finally caught sight of what the crowd was so desperate to see. 

Being yanked unceremoniously out of the small wooden crate, two boys hung rather limply in the grip of a large, important looking man. Jeongin gasped, the boys looked like dead bodies but the crowd was suddenly going crazy, cheering and pushing back at the guards to get closer. Suddenly, a booming voice startled Jeongin out of his confusion.

“Welcome. You all know why we are here today, and we sure won’t let a little rain bring our spirits down for this much awaited event, won’t we?”

The man gave the two bodies a shake and Jeongin cringed, hating how he held them up off the ground by the backs of their shirts like a dog by its scruff. The crowd whooped and hollered and Jeongin suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He also lost sight of the mysterious boy so he could do nothing but lean heavily against a box and watch the scene unfold in front of him as the large man spoke again.

“Since everyone here has had the honor of working for our glorious government, our leader has given you the opportunity to enjoy some of its benefits. The first being two rare macaws, a hyacinth and a scarlet. They’ve been well trained I assure you, by the master himself, so this gift is a most treasured and generous one. Before we start the bidding I want to remind everyone that those who stay with the government and prove their loyalty will receive much more gifts to this standard, so I hope to be working with you all well into the future,”

The man had a sickly sweet smile on his face as he hoisted the bodies into the air again and Jeongin felt his stomach flip. The two boys in his grasp were unconscious and young, but they were beautiful, and the crowd seemed to agree. Numbers started to get shouted out and soon the price was racking up. Before he knew it the yells began to dwindle until finally a loud “sold!” rang out through the rain. Jeongin felt his heart start to break as the large man went to hand the bodies over to a proud looking official, he didn’t even want to imagine what they were being sold for, and he couldn’t even do anything about it. 

Before the buyer’s hands could hold the two boys, a sudden blur of unmistakable grey and light brown flashed above the crowd and the two bodies disappeared with a woosh. Jeongin was left gaping before he suddenly took off, his body acting on its own accord. The rain made it hard to see and the shouts from the crowd behind him were unnerving, but he had been built to fly and a few obstacles couldn’t stop him from chasing the grey streak through the sky. They were heading inland more, over buildings and small roads, and Jeongin was relieved and a bit surprised to see that no one was following them. He raced after the figure for a bit until he dipped down and landed in a small alley. When Jeongin landed, quite ungracefully in a large puddle, he found the mysterious boy from before clutching the two auctioned macaws with his wings curled around them for protection. The boys were still unconscious but he had them underneath a small overhang to keep them dry. 

As Jeongin approached them unsteadily, the grey haired boy’s eyes suddenly turned to him and he froze.

“Uh, I’m sorry for following you,”

The boy didn’t say anything but instead turned to brush the wet hair from the macaws’ faces.

“Do you need any help?”

“What do you want, kid?”

Jeongin took a step back from where he had been slowly inching towards them, shocked at the other’s sharpness.

“I just want to know if they’re okay,”

“What’s it to you? You want them or something?”

“What? No I-”

“If we keep talking here we’ll get caught. If you really want to help... come with me,”

Jeongin was a bit hesitant to follow the man, but if it meant he could help the two poor boys, he’d be okay with it. He watched the grey haired man pick up both boys in his arms and push off the ground, wings opening as he rose into the stormy sky again. Jeongin was quick to follow and soon he found himself soaring over more buildings until they came to a vast forest. They continued for a little bit, Jeongin checking over his shoulder every so often to see if they were being followed and also to watch as the sea became harder and harder to make out. Suddenly he found himself following the boy down into the trees until they landed in a small clearing. The canopy overhead blocked some of the rain and Jeongin could make out a large house standing in front of them that the boy was heading towards. 

Jeongin was surprised that he had been taken to what looked like the grey haired boy’s house, but he welcomed the warmth and dryness when he stepped inside. Once in the front door, Jeongin followed the stranger into a room where he laid the two boys onto a couch.

“Get some water,”

It took a second for Jeongin’s brain to register that the man had addressed him before he stumbled into a kitchen area and quickly filled up two cups of water. 

“I need to make sure they haven’t been hurt anywhere, can you help me get their clothes off?”

“Uh, y-yeah, okay,”

“If you harm them I’ll kill you,”

Jeongin’s eyes widened but he saw the seriousness in the man’s face and quickly nodded before he moved to take the closest boy’s drenched shirt off. He got the boy down to his underwear, per the other’s instructions, and sat back while the grey haired man inspected them for injuries. Jeongin jumped when another person suddenly entered the room.

“Who- Chan what the fuck?!”

“Oh Changbin good, can you get me some towels, I don’t want them to catch a cold,”

Jeongin almost found the shocked expression on the newcomer’s face humorous until it became angry.

“Chan, you told me you were saving two macaws. So, why are there three people in our living room?”

“Calm down Bin. That one followed me and he wanted to help so I let him, is that a crime?”

“Are you serious?”

Jeongin found himself shrinking into the chair that he sat in as the other raised his voice.

“What if he’s a spy? We can’t just let anybody into our nest that wants to tag along. Shouldn’t you be worried about secrecy more than anyone?”

“Right now all I’m worried about is making sure these boys don’t die of hypothermia, so please, go get me some towels and dry clothes, okay?”

Jeongin was shocked at how calm and steady the boy, Chan, addressed the other who was clearly upset with him. Changbin stormed out of the room with a huff and Jeongin found himself facing Chan.

“Are you a spy?”

“A spy? Who would I be a spy for?”

“Of course you aren’t, I would’ve noticed right away, you’re too strange to be a spy,”

“Excuse me?”

“Well you’re terrible at keeping yourself from shifting and you can barely walk so you’ve clearly never been trained by the government to do anything,”

“Oh, uh well, thanks for not turning me away,”

“Sure, you don’t have anywhere to stay right?”

“H-how did you know?”

“Saw you sleeping under the docks,”

“Right, yeah. Um, will they be alright,”

The boys’ lips were starting to turn blue from the cold and Jeongin could see Chan’s eyes become worried as he looked over them. 

“I think they’ll be fine. At least they aren’t in the trade anymore,”

“The trade?”

“I’d rather not get into it, but let’s just say they needed saving,”

“So, you’re some sort of vigilante then?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, I just want to help anybody out that I can,”

Jeongin felt his spirits rise a bit as he imagined this boy offering him a place to stay. But before he could ask about such fantasies, the angry boy from earlier came back with a bundle of towels and clothes in his arms. He unloaded the pile onto the couch with a huff and Jeongin saw Chan roll his eyes at the boy.

“Changbin, would you chill out? He’s not a spy I promise. Plus, he’s just a kid and he doesn’t have anywhere to stay,”

“So what? We’re just going to take in anybody that wants a bed now? This isn’t a hotel Chan. What will the others think?”

“What has gotten into you? We take in people who need help, that’s how we all got here, and now you want to turn away this poor kid?”

Chan had stood up and now faced Changbin, dangerously close. Jeongin couldn’t help but shrink back, but he felt a glimmer of hope that Chan was inadvertently suggesting that he could stay.

“But what if he’s-”

“He’s not,”

Chan said it with such finality that Changbin finally backed down, but he still refused to look at Jeongin. Chan seemed satisfied enough with the reaction so he picked up one of the towels and began gently drying one of the unconscious boys’ hair. Jeongin wanted to help and maybe prove that he could be trusted, so he quickly grabbed another towel and moved to dry off the other boy, making sure to keep a good distance between himself and Changbin who stood angrily in the corner. Once they had gotten the boys dried and into warm clothes, Changbin reluctantly helped Chan carry them upstairs to put them into one of their beds. 

While they were up there, Jeongin found his curiosity getting the better of him and he figured he could do a bit of exploring. The house was bigger than he thought, and he hadn’t even gone upstairs yet. He wondered how many more people were living there until he found himself in a completely empty room on the other side of the staircase. It had huge windows and he could just imagine putting a soft rug in and a bed and calling it home. He thought back to his old nest on the island and realized that the whole thing was probably smaller than this one room. He didn’t feel homesick at all, if anything he just longed to get away from it more now that he’d had a taste of freedom. 

When he figured he’d spent long enough daydreaming in that room, Jeongin wandered back into the living room to find Changbin slouched on the couch watching TV. The boy shot him a glare when he entered and Jeongin suddenly felt very unwelcome. He shouldn’t have hoped to live here, there’s no way he would be allowed to stay. Suddenly, there was a presence behind him in the doorway that made him jump.

“You can go in if you’d like, he doesn’t bite,”

Jeongin glanced between Chan and Changbin before guiltily walking into the room and placing himself on a beanbag chair in the corner. He watched as Chan flopped onto the couch and slung an arm around Changbin who grumbled but didn’t move it.

“So, kid, what’s your name?”

“Yang Jeongin,”

“How old are you?”

“15,”

“Wow, you’ll be the youngest yet. Why were you sleeping under the docks?”

“I, ran away from home I guess,”

“Why?”

“I was alone,”

“You don’t live with your family,”

Before he could answer he felt a pang of sadness. He’d never had a family, never had any friends for more than a few days when a random seafowling would stop on his island to get some rest. He’d been alone his whole life, and he didn’t even know what his family was like or where he could find them if he went to look.

“I don’t have a family,”

“Well, now you do,”

Jeongin’s eyebrows shot up and he saw Changbin whip around to look at Chan with a shocked expression. 

“You can’t be serio-”

“Welcome to our flock Jeongin,”

“What about the oth-”

“Changbin, could you just shut up for one second and let me do my job as the leader of this nest?”

The boy flushed and quickly shut his mouth as he avoided their gazes, despite clearly wanting to protest more.

“All the rooms upstairs are taken but there’s an empty bedroom down here that you can stay in. That is if you want to join us,”

-

(Present)

Jisung POV

“Jeongin, that doesn’t sound like they didn’t want you. I mean, Chan clearly offered you a place to stay,”

Jisung saw Jeongin’s eyes become a bit sad and he slightly regretted butting in so he quickly grabbed the younger’s hands with a reassuring squeeze. 

“Chan was always welcoming, it’s the others that were a bit harder to convince. Changbin came around in the end, I think he was just a bit stressed at the time because Felix- wasn’t, uh, doing great, and of course Woojin was super nice. But Felix didn’t talk to me for the longest time and Minho literally hated my guts,”

“What?! But don’t you share a room with Felix? And you and Minho are like, always together now,”

Jeongin let out a little chuckle and Jisung was glad that his story didn’t have a sad ending at least.

“Yeah, I told you Felix is just really shy, and after Minho almost threw me into the ravine we became really close. Which, I guess, is the whole point of my story, hyung. Even though it seems like you aren’t wanted now, and even though you’ve had a tough past, they’ll all come around in the end,”

“I think Hyunjin would rather kill me than let me sleep in the same nest as him and Seungmin,”

When Jisung said their names he suddenly remembered Jeongin’s story and connected the dots with a pang of sadness.

“Hyunjin, he- he and Seungmin were the macaws that Chan saved, weren’t they?”

“Yeah, I kinda just tagged along on their rescue mission,”

“What, what happened to them?”

As much as he feared Hyunjin, he wouldn’t have wanted him, and especially Seungmin, to be harmed at all. He knew what the government would go through to brainwash and “train” fowling.

“I don’t think it’s my place to share that, but, I think the reason that Hyunjin is so volatile right now is because you remind him of his past,”

Jisung felt his stomach sink. He didn’t want to be the source of sadness or hurt for anyone, and it didn’t help to know that his presence was doing just that.

“I promise he’ll be fine, he just needs to get used to you. Seungmin seems to have already,”

Jisung felt even more guilty about the rift he caused in the flock, but at least now he knows a bit more about Jeongin and he can maybe start to understand Hyunjin. As if the boy could read his mind, Jeongin gave his hands a quick squeeze.

“Relax hyung, you’ve clearly already won the hearts of Chan, Changbin, and Woojin, and, just between you and me, Minho thinks you’re cute,”

Jisung choked on his spit as he felt a blush rising to his cheeks. He couldn’t imagine the beautiful sharp-eyed boy being attracted to him at all. He’s always been a bit too skinny to look healthy and he’s never been one to care about his appearance since he barely even knew what he looked like up until 3 years ago. 

“Speak of the devil,”

Jisung let go of Jeongin’s hands and whipped around to see Minho entering the room with a deep frown and a tin of nuts. The boy sat down heavily on the other side of Jeongin, and Jisung found himself unable to look up as he self consciously tried to fix his unruly hair and wipe off any remaining dried tears.

“How is he,”

Jeongin had latched onto Minho as soon as he sat down and the boy looked only a tad bit annoyed as he struggled to get his hands to his mouth so he could eat.

“If you’re talking about Hyunjin, he’s taking an angry shower and Seungmin is making sure he doesn’t smash anything. If you’re talking about Changbin, he’s stopped gushing blood but he keeps whining like a baby that his face hurts. In my opinion he shouldn’t be complaining since he’s the one who poked the beast,”

Jisung couldn’t mentally kick himself about Changbin being hurt for long because Jeongin suddenly spoke again with a dangerously teasing voice.

“So what you’re telling me is, Hyunjin and Seungmin are in the shower together,”

Jisung couldn’t help but gasp as Minho suddenly shoved Jeongin off of his lap and onto the floor. The younger just rolled around on the carpet as he laughed wildly while Minho grumbled and went back to eating his nuts with a disgusted look on his face. Jisung was getting such mixed vibes from the flock members, but he decided that if he was going to stay he should just focus on the good ones and try to understand the bad ones if he couldn’t do anything to change them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay we got to see some of Innie's past and a glimpse of HyunSeung's as well. Sorry I keep torturing the boys it just happens sometimes ya'know. Also Minho really be out here ;)  
> Don't forget to leave any questions, comments, or corrections you find in the comments!  
> Thank you so much for reading!! <333


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changbin’s voice sounded rough and Jisung realized that he must have woken the boy up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Announcement in the end notes!!

It was nearing late afternoon and the nest was slowly recovering from the fight and returning to normal. Most of the flock was hanging out in the living room watching some movie, besides Chan who had disappeared outside and Hyunjin and Seungmin who had stayed in their room all day. After the storm had passed that morning, the late summer heat had crept in, so the room was quite stuffy with all of them in there. Jisung found that he couldn’t sit still after a while so he wedged himself out from between a very cuddly Jeongin and Woojin to go search for Changbin. The boy’s nosebleed had stopped but he had refused to come out of Chan’s bedroom after the leader had brought him there. 

Jisung gingerly turned the doorknob to Chan’s room and slipped inside to find it in complete darkness. He didn’t want to turn the lights on in case Changbin was sleeping, so he did the next best thing. One of the perks of being able to see auras is it gives Jisung the ability to basically see in the dark, or at least see where any fowling are in the dark. He focused on where he assumed the bed was, and it didn’t take much effort for Changbin’s aura to show itself since he had already interacted with it before. Its swirling darkness would have been a bit difficult to see in the pitch black room if it hadn’t been for the soft, glowing cloud of pink and orange next to it. 

Jisung immediately lost concentration and the auras disappeared briefly before he looked again, harder this time. The pink definitely had not been there the last time he had looked at Changbin’s aura, so that meant that another fowling was in the room. If he focused hard enough, he would be able to make out what kind of bird a fowling was just by their aura, so he did just that. He stood perplexed for a moment when he discovered that there was apparently a pink cockatoo fowling right next to Changbin. Jisung hadn’t gotten the chance to figure out what kind of bird all of the flock members were, so he really wasn’t sure who it could be. 

Jisung was ripped out of his thoughts when a lamp suddenly clicked on and the room was filled with a soft glow. On instinct, he froze, afraid that he had been caught snooping around and was going to get in trouble. 

“Jisung?”

Changbin’s voice sounded rough and he realized that he must have woken the boy up. When his eyes adjusted to the light he took in Changbin’s face and felt guilt surge through his stomach again. There was a slight bruise already blooming on the boy’s nose and it was still red from the blood, and he looked so so tired. Jisung immediately rushed over to the bedside and found himself gently grabbing Changbin’s face in both of his hands to inspect it.

“I’m so sorry hyung, you shouldn’t have brought me here, I messed everything up. I can just go back to the dorms and stay there all school year and I’ll- I’ll find somewhere to stay next summer. I’ll never come here again and you all can just forget about me and everything will go back to normal and-”

Jisung was cut off by a pair of hands coming up to rest on top of his own, and when he looked up at Changbin, he realized how close their faces were. 

“Jisung. I don’t want to just forget about you, I can’t. I really want you to be a part of my flock, I want you to have a home and a family and feel safe and loved. I’m not going to kick you out to live in the dorms and then on the street just because of one fight, I don’t care if I have to get punched by Hyunjin every single day as long as you’re safe.”

Jisung felt tears well up in his eyes as a balloon of warmth began to fill his chest, almost suffocating him, but in a good way. He found himself staring into Changbin’s warm eyes for a few seconds, mesmerized by their sincerity, until he heard a shuffling from the other side of the bed. Jisung suddenly remembered about the other fowling in the room and quickly pulled his hands away from Changbin’s face and took a full step back, feeling like he was caught doing something illegal. When he looked up and locked eyes with whoever the pink cockatoo was beside Changbin, he choked on his own breath.

“I’m sorry oh gosh, I’ll just be leaving now, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean, sorry-”

“Wait,”

Jisung turned around with a shaky breath, but didn’t look up at the bed again. He didn’t want to see Felix curled up into Changbin’s side, fitting perfectly like a puzzle piece. Jisung was the puzzle piece that didn’t fit, he didn’t belong here, he should leave. As he turned towards the door to do just that, Changbin reached out to grab his arm.

“Where are you going?”

“Um, I don’t know,”

He finally mustered up the courage to glance at the two on the bed and found himself locking eyes with Felix. There was something intense swimming in the boy’s eyes that Jisung couldn’t decipher, but it tugged at his heartstrings.

“You don’t have to go, if you don’t want to,”

Jisung couldn’t help but gape at Felix, the boy speaking to him for the first time since he got there. 

“I- I-”

“Do you want to? Stay here?”

Jisung turned to Changbin this time.

“Of course, but-”

“Then you’re going to stay, simple as that,”

“But it’s not that sim-”

Jisung was cut off by a pair of arms engulfing him and pulling him onto the bed. He found himself wrapped up in Changbin’s arms and, even though the boy was shorter than him, he felt safe and protected. Although it was a bit awkward being so close to the other boys, one of which had only spoken to him once, he felt calmer than he probably ever had in his life. As he lay there, slotted between the two drifting in and out of sleep, he began to wonder if maybe he really did fit there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello anyone still reading this:   
> I have decided to stop writing this story because it started out as a simple scene that I tried to stretch into a fic and it has absolutely no direction. I've found that writing updates has lost its fun and also my writing has gone to shit because of that. BUT I really love the world and the characters I have created through this fic, many of which I didn't actually get the chance to develop, SO I will keep this au and these characters to write another Stray Kids Fowling story, this time with an actual thought out plot! Some of the scenes and ideas will be reused but it will be different as well. I'll probably write the whole thing before I start posting it, or at least plan out all of the chapters, so I can go back and change things if I need to. I don't know when that will happen but I've also been writing like 5 other SKZ fics so I'll be posting those soon, please look out for them!
> 
> Thank you so much for everyone who took the time to read this fic and give kudos!! I love you all <33333


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